Rural or urban

[MandF]

Basically what I am saying is;

Any COMPANY which decides to host a hive or two on their roof will have done so responsibly and with more planning than your or I would ever do.

Any individual, regardless of which newspaper they read, has the right to keep bees and should be encouraged to do so with the usual caveats. If they are ignorant, fair weather or whatever, they will soon learn the error of their ways. But I also think you need to give people a bit more credit, even guardian readers. I would much rather have someone like that on the forum here asking for advice/opinions on urban beekeeping, than someone come on here asking what a drone is, or whatever, AFTER having got bees.

 

[MandF]

Even in New York

http://www.good.is/post/urban-beekeeping-is-now-legal-in-new-york/

 

[MandF]

I don't hold out too much hope for a beehive on every building.

Me neither, cos thats not sustainable!

 

[Nose Ma]

How they run the economy?! Who runs the economy? Or are you thinking that only Banks have offices in the city of london? And assuming the banks run the economy.

I missed out an "i" in the word run.

 

[Finman]

There has been an increased trend in urban beekeeping. What are peoples opinion on this, do people think that the urban environment is fit for the keeping of bees?

Nothing new in urban beekeeping.

Take care that you do not brake the house roof. You get a real bill from it.

Roofs leak even if you do not walk there,

 

[itma]

Even in New York

http://www.good.is/post/urban-beekeeping-is-now-legal-in-new-york/

Not saying for a moment that its not badly needed, but without reading that, I wouldn't have guessed that New York would actually have a "Department of Health and Mental Hygiene" ... (doesn't seem to be a typo either)

I wonder what the Dept does to those with a dirty mind?

 

[Onge]

why is a peanut allergy a nut allergy? I thought it was a legume

Bit off topic but yes it is a legume (bean).

 

[Dishmop]

Just out of curiosity, does body have a confirmed record of an incident in the UK, where bees which had swarmed from a hive due to thier natural behaviour, and attacked somebody without provocation? a reasonably recent one that is..

 

[susbees]

Just out of curiosity, does body have a confirmed record of an incident in the UK, where bees which had swarmed from a hive due to thier natural behaviour, and attacked somebody without provocation? a reasonably recent one that is..

Nope....the call I got in the summer from *shire Wildlife was a botched swarm collection by a "beekeeper" in someone's garden....which then multiply stung the householder's poor dog.

 

[Storm™]

Bit off topic but yes it is a legume (bean).

Is it? I thought it was a member of the pea family? Unless that is Legume.

 

[JamezF]

Is it? I thought it was a member of the pea family? Unless that is Legume.

Peas, beans, lentils, the vanilla plant and peanuts are all legumes. More unexpected ones (at least from my point of view) are clover, lupins and I *think* wisteria (or however that is supposed to be spelt, though spelt is not a legume

James

 

[Storm™]

Peas, beans, lentils, the vanilla plant and peanuts are all legumes. More unexpected ones (at least from my point of view) are clover, lupins and I *think* wisteria (or however that is supposed to be spelt, though spelt is not a legume

James

I didnt know that, cheers James. I love lupins.

 

[tonybloke]

I didnt know that, cheers James. I love lupins.

that's why agricultural lupins are grown as a 'green manure', it fixes nitrogen from the air in nodules on the roots ( via bacteria) which is then ploughed in

 

[JamezF]

We have lupins in flower in the garden at the moment, oddly enough.

I've just looked up legumes in wikipedia to find out what the actual definition is. Turns out I was wrong about vanilla. It isn't one; not all pod-bearing plants are legumes, it seems. The others are correct though.

I find it fascinating finding out how plants are related and once you know the common features start to become more obvious. I was surprised when I first found out that potatoes, tomatoes, aubergines, chiles and deadly nightshade are all from the same plant family, but having grown them it's clear that they often have similar flower structure or leaf design. Some tomato plants are even called "potato-leaved", and potato plants produce (poisonous) fruit that look like miniature tomatoes. Chile and aubergine seeds look very similar too, IIRC.

James

 

[JamezF]

that's why agricultural lupins are grown as a 'green manure', it fixes nitrogen from the air in nodules on the roots ( via bacteria) which is then ploughed in

I was completely unaware of that. I know clover, beans and peas are grown as nitrogen-fixers (peas and beans before the nitrogen-hungry brassicas in the rotation on my own veggie plot), but I had no idea that lupins were used for the same purpose.

James

 

[alanf]

I had no idea that lupins were used for the same purpose

Most legumes fix nitrogen, there are a few exceptions. Or rather the bacteria that they host in root nodules do. It's a big group. Includes laburnum, wisteria, acacia and locust trees as well as the peas, beans, clovers and lupins. Botanically, the flowers are more reliable as a guide than the seed case, so if it has pea like flowers it's probably a legume (fabacae family).