Honey Bees, Pumpkins, and Heirloom Tomatoes

We LOVE bees!

Once again a venture this morning into the garden was rewarded with the fresh smells of dirt, tomatoes, and plants.

The pumpkins are coming along nicely especially with the successful application of Diatomaceous Earth.  We did not see any stink bugs.  NOT even ONE!  Has the battle been won?  Perhaps the battle, but not the war.

Yesterday evening we sprayed the Tomato garden with Bacillus thuringlensis subspecies kurstaki strain SA-12 solids, spores and Lepidopteran active toxins.  This natural bacterial spore is OMRI listed and has a narrow spectrum limiting the effect on beneficials.  "As of 2007, a new phenomenon called colony collapse disorder (CCD) began affecting bee hives all over North America. Initial speculation on possible causes ranged from new parasites to pesticide use^[55] to the use of Bt transgenic crops.^[56] The Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium published a report in March 2007 that found no evidence that pollen from Bt crops is adversely affecting bees.^[57] The actual cause of CCD remains unknown, and scientists believe that it may have multiple causes.^[58]  


From Wikipedia.org


After taking some time to study BT, we have a high degree of confidence in the efficacy and optimism for eliminating insect damage to our tomatoes.

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