Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2021)
Page A-12 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, July 21, 2021 Page A-12 Crawlies with Cri: Weather Watch by Christy Solo Cave Junction Thursday, July 22 Sunny High -- 89 Low -- 55 Friday, July 23 Sunny High -- 92 Low -- 58 Saturday, July 24 Sunny High -- 94 Low -- 59 Sunday, July 25 Mostly Sunny High -- 93 Low -- 58 Monday, July 26 Partly Cloudy High -- 91 Low -- 59 Tuesday, July 27 Mostly Sunny High -- 90 Low -- 60 Wednesday, July 28 Mostly Sunny High -- 92 Low -- 60 Following are the high & low temperatures, and rainfall recorded at The End of the Road in O’Brien by Cheryl Johnson: June 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 High 98.2 96.7 95.6 94.5 93.8 92.8 89.1 Low 52.1 64.2 60.0 64.7 65.4 55.1 53.5 (Photo by Christy Solo, Illinois Valley News) European wool-carder bee (Anthidium manicatum) This week’s crawly is a big, bold bee. Meet the European wool-carder bee (Anthidium manicatum). Accidentally brought to the Eastern United States in the early 1960s from England, it was “Westward ho!” for this bee until they reached the West Coast in 2007. Wool-carder bees are one of the few bee species where the males are larger than the females. At just over one-half inch in length with bright yellow spots and sometimes stripes on their abdomens, males are easy to spot. Male wool-carder bees fiercely protect a chosen patch of nectary flowers from all comers; including other pollinators and even hummingbirds. Only female wool-carders are allowed to dine from the protected posies. Male wool-carders July Rain: 0.00” YTD Rain: 50.15” aren’t dumb; they know how to woo the ladies. While males cannot sting, they do have spikes around the lower portion of their abdomens which they will use to fight off intruders if necessary. Generally, their size alone is sufficient, especially if other nectar sources are readily available. They’ll first fly at an intruder. If that doesn’t work, they’ll head butt them, then they’ll go to wrestling and as a last resort use their spikes. The “wool-carder” moniker comes from the way the females build their nests. A female will use her toothed mandibles (mouth parts) to scrape soft hairs off of plants like yarrow, mullein and rose campion. She forms the fibers into a ball and carries them back to her chosen nesting site under her abdomen. She’ll then use the fibers to line brood cells in her nest. Like other solitary bees and wasps we’ve met, wool- carders make a nest out of several cells, laying one egg in each, then packing in pollen provisions. Females use existing cavities for their brood cells. Possible nest sites include cavities in wood such as those excavated by beetles or other insects, hollow plant stems and reeds, crevices and cracks in walls and prefabricated “bee hotels.” Usually made from bamboo stems slotted into a house-like form, bee hotels can be purchased at a variety of local stores like Grange Co-op and Walmart. Females are smaller than males, less fuzzy and don’t have abdominal spikes, but do have stingers. BY THE YARD: While wool-carder bees are generalist feeders – they’ll drink nectar and take pollen from a variety of plants – they do favor the previously mentioned plants for nectar and “wool.” They also like various plants in the mint family and in the pea family. Because wool-carder bees are non-native, they tend to prefer non-native plants both as a food source and for nest building. Because of this preference, you have a good chance to spot them in your garden if you have some non-native flora. Males will definitely give you the “once-over” as you pause by the patch they protect, but remember – no stingers. Their bold nature will give you the opportunity to observe them closely as they defend their turf. BY THE BAG/TOTE: DG & Sand 1 Yard Tote Granite, River & Shale Perlite (4CF) Bark-O-Mulch Perlite (60CF) Pumice (2 sizes) Peat Moss (3.8 CF) Washed Steer Manure Peat Moss (55 CF) OMRI Compost Premium Worm Castings Compost’N Pumice Compost Chicken & Pumice BY THE BLOCK: 50/50 Mix (Chicken & Steer) Coco Peat Blocks Oregon Mix BY THE PALLET: Coco Peat (fluffed) WSDA Composted Chicken Manure Peat Moss OMRI ROCK’N SOIL POTTING SOIL Coco Peat Blocks DOWN TO EARTH AMENDMENTS OMRI 1 LOVE POTTING SOIL CULVERTS - GARDEN, GREENHOUSE, HARVEST, IRRIGATION & LANDSCAPE SUPPLY - ROAD FABRIC 3/4 MINUS, DRAIN, DRIVEWAY & GRAVEL ROCK 272 N. Old Stage Road Cave Junction, OR 97523 rocknsoil-oregon.com @ROCKNSOILOREGON rocknsoil@frontier.com Locally Made and Family Owned - Be Green One Tote or Truck at a Time
