Polecat Bench. February, 2011.
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About Us
We are Rob and Deb and we live in Powell, Wyoming. Most of these photos were taken in Wyoming, though we do occasionally visit other parts of the world. Some of these images come from those excursions, and there is a mix of old and new photography here.
Note: click on the photo for a larger version.
These images may be used for noncommercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License. Unless otherwise noted, photos are by Rob Koelling. For more information, contact
Note: click on the photo for a larger version.
These images may be used for noncommercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License. Unless otherwise noted, photos are by Rob Koelling. For more information, contact
7 comments:
I remember this day. Photos after my own heart! Good to find another Wyoming blogger.
My husband and I drove through the basin last month. We asked a young girl at a cafe what the small white 'sheds' were along the sides of some of the cultivated fields. She said they were for bees. We have kept bees in the past, and nobody down here in Casper does anything like that- and it just didn't make sense. What are they for?
Well, if we are thinking about the same thing, the young girl was right. I don't know a lot about this, but here is my understanding. Bees are crucial for the alfalfa fields. Come spring the boxes are placed in the fields. The box usually has three sides and a top and is open on one side. Frames holding bees are inserted into the boxes. Some of the boxes have geometric designs painted on them--I assume to help the bees figure out which ones are home. The boxes are placed strategically around a field to ensure the bees get it pollinated. Some of the old boxes are being replaced by what appears to be lightweight plastic shelters. I'll have to post a photo of some this summer.
Cheers
Well, I'm intrigued. Yes they had one side open and lined the edges of the fields. We have bees in the alfalfa fields down here, but for the honey production not for the sake of the alfalfa. (Alfalfa does not require pollination unless you are harvesting seeds.)
Bees put out for honey are no where near the density those boxes represent... after looking around I'm wondering if those aren't sunflower fields. Those would need pollination to produce the seeds. Is there that much sunflower production up there?
I haven't had a chance to nail this down, but I think they are leaf cutter bees which are used for pollination but not honey production. There is considerable alfalfa seed production around Powell. Large scale sunflower production did not really start until this past year.
Well, that probably explains it. I didn't know there was a lot of alfalfa seed production up there, but it makes sense that seed for Wyoming growers would come from somewhere nearby.
thanks!
For more information and two close-up photos of the bee shelters, check out the posting for Tuesday, August 9, 2011, or click on the search term Bees.
They pollinate the crops. Ver keepers from Maine bring their bees to Mass. To pollinate the cranberries. Good money on bees..
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