A few years ago, a good friend of mine took the time to plant a wonderful small garden in his back yard. He lay down a row of squash and zucchini and was looking forward to what it would yield. The plants grew nice and lush. He watered and fertilized as required. Then they began to bud, marking the beginning of the lovely vegetables. Everything was going according to plan. My friend was disappointed a few weeks later when the plants never produced any vegetables. He scratched his head thinking about what he might have forgotten to do. As he went down his checklist, it never once occurred to him that the solution to his dilemma was as simple as four letters. B E E S!
Later, another friend of his at work told him that more than likely what had
happened was a lack of our buzzing friends who are responsible for
pollinating our plants. Quite simply, when the vegetable plants budded,
there were no bees around to spread the pollen. Could it be that simple? The
answer is yes.
Anyone who has lived in Florida for a considerable amount of time has driven
by an orange grove. The white stacks of wooden crates in the middle of the
grove? Those are bee hives. They ensure the trees will produce oranges next
fall. Amazing, isn't it?
Next time you are in your garden, and you notice a few of our hard working
friends buzzing around, just let them be. They're doing you a huge
favor--what they were meant to do.