Plight of the bumblebee

I'm a lackadaisical gardener--I mulch too late, water too little, and can't always tell weeds from things I've planted. I let a huge spikey wildflower with a 4 foot diameter grow along my fence last summer just to see what the heck it would do. It's taken me the past two weekends to make even a small dent in the carpets of unwanted vegetation outside my door. But the time has been well worth it. I've discovered the microcosmos of my dirt--millipedes, centipedes, bizarre cocoons, spiders, and above all thousands of earthworms. And above ground, bees, bees, and more bees!

Thanks to the chickens, it's now been 2 years since I've used any herbicides or pesticides in my yard. I used to be a fan of Roundup, as it's relatively safe for mammals, but since someone told me it kills earthworms, I've sworn off it too. Though often mistaken for a mud-worshiping Hippie, I'm actually a fan of scientific advances in pest and weed control. I just happen to be much fonder of my chickens. Which is really the only reason I stopped using chemicals on my weeds. Now, I have yet another selfish reason to keep the yard pesticide free--I love seeing the bees and the butterflies and the earthworms going about their business. And I love the fruits of their labors!

By now, most folks have heard about the decrease in bee populations. Winnie the Pooh and his Hunny aside, the concern is that without bees to pollinate our crops, we'll have no food. No apples, no corn, no tomatoes, no eggplants. No cherry pie, no salsa, no hard apple cider, no wine. Today, my apian visitors were happy--drunkenly buzzing around the catmint and the allium and the lavender. I want my honey wine and my salsa and my homemade applesauce. So my little corner of the world will remain pesticide free, and hopefully the bees will stick around, providing that perfect, soft sound that lets me know summer is coming and everything is right in the world.