What’s the Buzz about Bees?
Hi, it's Jen from the farm here! Last year when the blueberry bushes started to bloom, we hooked up with our friend Aaron to get some hives to help with pollination, as we'll do again this year, stay tuned for videos! As those bees started to flirt with each flower, I noticed another bee that was similar in size but looked slightly different flitting from flower to flower, shaking his bottom rapidly during his nectar feed. I wondered who that little guy was and upon doing some research, found out he was none other than Habropoda laboriosa, the southeastern blueberry bee! Who knew those even existed? Apparently, they borrow in the ground near a blueberry patch where they live year-round, waiting for the rabbiteye blueberry bushes to bloom. They then feast, breed, and die all in the span of a few weeks! They are fascinating creatures! Along with the honeybee (we will sell the honey from this year's pollination as well) and the Southeastern Blueberry Bee, there is also the larger bumble bee that tries to do his best getting to the nectar. He's so fat and fluffy it's a wonder he can, but he certainly does. So the buzz is this: Our delicious berries would not exist without the help of bees!
