Mystery Surrounding the New Queen Bee 

September 17, 2013
by garden
2 min read

I wrote earlier that I hived a new queen bee on August 7 and released her a few days later, after the hive and she got acquainted. She took a little time to settle in but by August 23 she appeared to be laying eggs, which was confirmed five days later. There was a good age (size) range of larvae in the brood cells which means the queen was laying regularly. A large number of brood cells were already capped which happens about a week after the eggs are laid. It was a good start for the new queen and improves chances that the hive will be large enough to survive the winter. While the hive was queenless for about 6 weeks, the bees produced lots of honey in honey cells as well as in what had been brood cells.

I returned to check the hive on Wednesday, September 11. It was the first time that Tobias Heller (8 yrs old) – a garden member with his mother Barbara – handled the bees and frames. He now has his own bee jacket with veiled hood, and is a natural. We weren’t surprised since he’s been researching bees, listening closely to my explanations for months and explaining a lot about the hive and bees to garden members who came around during hive inspections. Even when the bees were climbing around on his gloved hands, he was calm and collected.

We checked 2 of the 3 hive boxes, and discovered that the first brood from the new queen had ‘hatched’, that there is still capped brood that will produce more bees, but that there were no larvae of any age. That means the queen stopped laying at least a week ago, and maybe longer. We don’t know why, and we’re not sure if she is still in the hive. We tried to think like a bee and thought maybe she was not laying because she was not happy with the existing honeycomb. So we added a new 4th box of frames, and sprinkled some pollen in to encourage the bees to come up and pull out the embossed wax to make honeycomb cells for eggs. We’ll return next week to see what’s happened, with hopes that our guess was right and that the bees are working the wax and the queen is laying again.

Drama in a Small Space

August 7, 2013
by garden
3 min read

The beehive kindly hosted by W. 104 St. Garden was installed on 11 May in the back of the east section of the garden. I started with 10,000 bees and a queen in a 10-frame hive box. The queen started laying eggs immediately, and the hive was more developed than I expected after only 2 weeks. I reported to a June 8th meeting of garden members that the hive was prospering and was showing signs of a strong beginning. There was plenty of capped brood (developing bee) cells, lots of open cells containing nectar that is processed into honey by the bees, and capped honey cells.

As the hive continued to develop, I added 2 more 10-frame boxes to accommodate the growth in bee population and honey storage. A second queen bee was spotted by a friend who came by to observe my hive inspection. We did not know if she was laying eggs but the marked queen who came with the bees in May (marked with a blue spot on her head) was active and there was no problem leaving the two queens in the hive. There are several photos of this queen on a frame on the garden website, taken by a garden member who happened by when I was there.

When a fellow beekeeper reported she could not find her marked queen, I offered my second queen with the understanding that the final decision depended upon my marked queen continuing her good performance. The beekeeper and I captured my second queen, who was placed in the new hive where she started laying eggs right away. Unfortunately, a week later I discovered there was no queen in my hive; I don’t know what happened to my marked queen. On Aug. 3, we spent 3 1/2 hours checking for queens in the other hive but the new queen was not there. Drama in a small space

My new queen, with her attendants, has just arrived by mail, graciously purchased by an interested garden member. She will go into the hive in her queen cage this evening (8/7/13), and I will release her into the hive in a couple of days after the bees have gotten used to her. We hope she will be accepted as well as the first queen, and that she will begin laying eggs very soon. Bees only live about 6 weeks in the summer so constant production of new bees is important. Keeping up with honey production is also important because all the honey produced in the bottom three boxes is needed to feed the bees over the winter.

I was told that garden members rarely see much action around a hive. That’s pretty much how bees are. Throughout the day they go on forage flights, returning with pollen and nectar. Guard bees (bees with an attitude as our instructor described them) defend the entrance against intruders but the hive entrance faces the back fence. When the hive is too hot, thousands of bees may spread out on the outside of the hive boxes, but the garden location is nice and shady so the hive has remained comfortable even in the hottest weather. Bees fly out when it is light, and go home in the evening. The drama is in the internal dynamics that are not visible to the casual observer. Also, bees can fly 2+ miles to forage so while I expect them to be in the garden, they go where the best nectar is, which may vary over the season. And nearby Central Park offers a diverse smorgasbord of bee food so I’m sure they are foraging there as well.

Five Smooth Stones – An Interactive Art Project

July 25, 2013
by garden
1 min read

Five Smooth Stones

  1. First, consider the frame and the space in contains.
  2. Arrange the five stones any way you like.

    Savor your design.

  3. Take a picture of the arrangement with you cell phone other digital device/camera.
  4. Send the image to:west104gardenart@gmail.com
  5. Leave the stones where they will remain until the next participant rearranges them.

All the images taken for this project will be gathered and presented together on a digital quilt on August 2013. Look for it at:

www.west104garden.org

What can you do with five smooth stones?
What can you create?

1 Samuel 17:40

Tonight: NW Central Park Multi-Block Association

June 10, 2013
by garden
1 min read

North West Central Park Multiblock Association presents:

Topic:  Our Parks…Access, What’s New and How to Get the Most From Them

 
Meeting:  6-10-2013, Monday
Location:  Schneider Apartments,  11 West 102nd Street
                      Btw. Central Park West and Manhattan Ave.
Time:  7:00 PM
Special Guest Speaker:  Victor Calise
Current Position:  Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities
Previous Position:  Accessibility Coordinator for Department of Parks and Recreation
 
Mr. Calise has worked in the service of the disabled community for over 15 years.
While working at for the City’s Parks Department he worked on Title II compliance for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and provided technical assistance in the design of parks and developed a training curriculum to familiarize Parks employees with accessibility issues.
 
He has been a resident of our community for many years.  He and his family are active members of the West 104th Street Community Garden.
 
So come out and join us.  With summer coming up, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to learn about the recreation options in your own neighborhood.
 
And yes, there will be snacks and tea.  Did you even have to wonder?
 
Bring a neighbor.  See you there.

May 18 Workday Meeting Minutes

June 2, 2013
by garden
2 min read

Ann Levine presiding

 

Stage grant

  • $1000 from Citizens Committee for NYC.

  • Melissa wrote the grant to rebuild the stage.

  • Design committee will draw two designs for member vote.

 

Beehive

  • Beekeeper, Elaine NYC beekeepers association will help with PR and problems.

  • Assembled in gazebo due to storm.

  • Fence 5ft height will be installed next week to keep kids away and draw bees upward for morning flight.

  • We will invite Elaine to next meeting to explain.

  • Jean noted we need to have room to open the gate. Hive will need to move to the east.

  • A sign was installed to explain hive to garden users.

 

Flea market is Saturday May 25, 11-6pm

  • Ann distributed flyers.

  • Donations can be dropped off Thurs or Friday in Gazebo or west shed if the is rain.

  • Christine noted that the books are gone. They were donated to housing works as part of shed cleanup. DInorah said that Julia was there when the books were donate.

  • Need volunteers, contact Julia 646-363-4513.

 

Nikki offered a spare ticket to Yankees Toronto game at 1pm today.

 

Rocks from 425 CPW available to use in garden

  • Task proposed to cart the rocks to the garden via wheelbarrow.

  • Use for projects around the garden, rock walls, cat area, herb garden, front gate along fences.

  • Peter marked areas to store rocks on east and west garden.

  • Ann called for a member vote to accept the rocks, citing a concern that it would be too much work, too many rocks, not enough use for them.

  • Vote: 24:2 in favor of bringing rocks over.

 

CP conservancy garden bulb toss

  • Noreen, Sherman, Anat, and Suzanne brought over bulbs.

 

Monitoring

  • Yenna brought the monitoring calendar.

  • Some people still need to sign up for monitoring dates.

  • Yenna explained that members need to respond to the calendar date invitation in order to receive reminders.

 

Mowers

  • Both of our mowers area broken.

  • Sarah Hawkey offered to lend her building mower (104 by Grace church apts).

  • Buy new would be $120 or so.

  • Guy will try to fix the mower today.

 

Workday tasks:

  • Cart rocks to garden

  • Clean around west garden shed

  • Fix retaining boards or rocks in front of raspberry bushes behind herb garden

  • Invasive weeds move from eastern fence if west garden, volunteer trees

  • Tree stump removal, Jean lead

  • Bulbs can be planted, pansies can be planted in planter by west garden gate

Next meeting June 8

The Queen Gets to Work

May 29, 2013
by garden
2 min read

I was able to inspect the hive on Saturday. Because of the bad weather that day, all the bees were inside which made it a little difficult to see things due to crowding.

The bees were hived two weeks ago on 10 May. Despite a lot of cold and rainy weather since then, the hive is doing very well.

Elaine shows off our new bees
Elaine shows off our new bees.

— The bees have drawn out the wax foundation into comb on the 10 frames in the box installed on 10 May.

— I saw the queen – she is larger than the other bees but with shorter wings; she also has a blue dot on the back of her head to make it easier to find her.

— The queen is successfully and vigorously laying eggs.

Here is our Queen!
…and here is our Queen!

— Both sides of 3 frames are already capped with wax; most of these cells are developing larvae (capped with yellow wax) which should be emerging as bees in 10-14 days; the remaining cells (capped with white wax) hold honey and a few uncapped cells contain nectar which is concentrated to honey by the bees.

— Another 5 frames in the box are in process of being filled with eggs/larvae, honey and nectar, and the last 2 frames are about 1/3 filled with nectar.

— Because the bees are already working all 10 frames of the first box, I added a second 10-frame box on Saturday, and expect to add the third shortly.

All of this indicates a new hive off to an excellent start and happy with its queen.

Impatiens Downy Mildew: Please don’t plant!

May 23, 2013
by garden
1 min read
Hi all,
The information below is important to all of us, specially because impatiens are one of the most popular annuals that are planted this time of year. Please take 5 minutes to read it. Thanks Robing for sharing this with us. Greatly appreciated!
Dinorah
_  __ __ __ __ __ ____ _ ___ __ __ _ __
Email from Robin…
 
I’ve been hearing about this new blight that’s infecting impatiens. It’s called Impatiens Downey Mildew (IDM) , which sounds suspiciously like the powdery mildew we already struggle with. Attached is the text from an article from Mass Hort society. Also a link to their page.
It seems important – they’re recommending that gardeners not plant impatiens this year.
Can someone please make sure this information gets out to the garden members 

http://www.masshort.org/Features/What-You-Need-to-Know-About-Impatiens-Blight

 

Robin

Installing the Hive

May 13, 2013
by garden
2 min read

I hived the bees on Saturday – under somewhat challenging conditions. The downpour started just before it happened so we had to move the assembled hive into the gazebo where I continued the hiving. After the rain stopped, I moved the hive to its current location.

Some bees remained flying around the gazebo after the hive was placed in its corner. Since they did not know the hive and therefore how to get to it, I spent another 2.5 hrs slowly collecting, and taking to the hive, as many gazebo bees as I could. I finally left at 8:15pm. I was told the next day by a member that there were some bees near the gazebo and some dead bees on a picnic table on Sunday morning but none were in evidence when I came around 3pm.

All seems to be OK with the hive. After checking with a gardener, I placed currently-unused fencing in front of the hive. As promised, I will be putting in a sturdier but movable fence as soon as I retrieve it from the country (this weekend at latest).

Garden members who stopped by, including the woman with the plot closest to the hive, welcomed and were interested in the bees which was great. I will be checking the hive about weekly while the bees get settled. I will provide materials about bees for the website as you requested. At some point this summer, it should be possible to have a little bee presentation and show the hive to visitors if that seems appropriate.

I thank you again for welcoming the introduction of the hive.

Hurricane Relief from FEMA

November 12, 2012
by garden
1 min read

Most of us were very lucky: Manhattan Valley escaped Sandy’s wrath.
But if you have friends or family who are struggling, this might be helpful.

Federal Emergency Management Agency

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has activated its transitional shelter program, which allows those who cannot return to their homes because of storm damage to stay in participating hotels, motels or other housing. You must first register with FEMA at a recovery center, by calling             (800) 621-3362       or by going to DisasterAssistance.gov.

Ways to help from boro prez, Scott Stringer

November 4, 2012
by garden
4 min read

   How to Volunteer or Donate—Help NYC Recover from Hurricane Sandy 

Dear Friend:As our City begins to recover from Hurricane Sandy, I wanted to share information about relief groups and other charitable organizations to which you can donate, if it’s difficult for you to personally offer supplies and shelter to people in need.VOLUNTEERING IN NEW YORK CITY

There are numerous ways to help here in the city, and a good place to start is by registering as a volunteer with NYCService’s Facebook page. The organization has asked people to contact NYC Service with their names, email contacts, and boroughs. You can also register to be a New York Cares volunteer and be part of their disaster response team.

The Food Bank for New York is also accepting donations and possibly volunteers. Check its websites for more information.

CONTACT THE RED CROSS

All of your donations to the Red Cross will provide shelter and other support to people who have been directly affected by the Hurricane.

To donate, visit www.redcross.org, call 800-Red-Cross or text the word “Redcross” to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Currently blood supplies are low in areas hit by the storm, and the Red Cross is asking people to schedule appointments to donate blood in the New York/New Jersey area. To donate, call             800-933-2566       or visit www.nybloodcenter.org.

FOOD, MEDICINE AND SHELTER

There are scores of mobile feeding units and shelters up and down the East Coast operated by the Salvation Army, and they are serving thousands of people. You can also make a donation.

Feeding America is distributing water, food and supplies to thousands of people in the storm’s disaster zones. To donate, visitwww.feedingamerica.org or call             800-910-5524      .

AmeriCares is delivering medicine and other supplies to people affected by the storm. To donate, visit www.americares.org.

Personal hygiene items and food kits are being provided to thousands by World Vision. To donate, visit www.worldvision.org.

Other charities and relief groups offering food, medicine and other assistance include Catholic Charities USA, Direct Relief International, and Operation Blessing International.

REACHING OUT TO CHILDREN IN NEED

Save the Children provides emergency aid to families and addresses the special needs of their children. You can visitwww.savethechildren.org to donate. World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse are also providing emergency relief and seeking volunteers for children.

HELPING ANIMALS CAUGHT IN THE STORM 

If you’re interested in helping animals find safe haven and good care after the hurricane, the Humane Society of the United Statesand the American Humane Association have teams working on the problem and they need your help. Donations are especially needed to help rescue stranded pets and aid animals currently in shelters.

CLEANING UP AFTER THE HURRICANE

Team Rubicon (            310-338-1149      ) has dispatched teams to begin cleanup work and Samaritan’s Purse is also seeking volunteers to help our City rebuild.

BEYOND U.S. BORDERS

Remember that Hurricane Sandy devastated the Caribbean and claimed many lives before it hit the United States. Operation USAand the International Medical Corps are aiding those affected by Sandy in Haiti and Cuba. Operation USA is also providing aid to the East Coast.

FEMA AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Finally, FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency offers a range of programs delivering aid to those affected directly by the hurricane. Check out the FEMA website for information and ways to help.

TELETHONS TO HELP RECOVERY

This evening NBC will broadcast a telethon to benefit those impacted by Sandy, starring Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Joel and other performers. On Monday, ABC will observe “A Day of Giving” on several shows to generate donations. Check both stations for more details.

BEFORE YOU MAKE A DONATION

If you are planning to give to a nonprofit in the wake of any disaster, you should first verify that it is legitimate. Charity evaluators likeGuidestar and Charity Navigator as well as FEMA can help you determine whether the organization to which you’re donating has a good track record, and that funds will go where you intend.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Donations will not result in preferential treatment by City officials.

Sincerely,

Scott M. Stringer,
Manhattan Borough President

Click here to unsubscribe

Office of the Manhattan Borough President
Municipal Building: One Centre Street, 19 Floor, New York, NY 10007 • Tel:             212-669-8300       • Fax: 212-669-4306
Northern Manhattan Office: 163 West 125th Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10027 • Tel:             212-531-1609       • Fax: 212-531-4615