Friday 22 June 2018

How to attract Bumblebees to your garden




According to Hinterland Who's Who Bumblebees are native to North America (unlike honey bees which did not exist here until Colonists brought them over). They are large and fuzzy, and non-aggressive, unless you disturb their nest or swat at them (or step on them). Their stinger isn't barbed, unlike the honey bee, so they can sting multiple times if they need to. The drones (males) do not have a stinger at all. Bumblebees see in UV light so they are more attracted to blue and purple flowers, but they will happily feed off of any flowers they find.

Only 45 species of bumblebees are social, meaning that they live in hives of up to 200 individuals, whereas honeybees have colonies of up to 40,000. Bumblebees make very little honey as all but the new queens die off over the winter. They usually nest underground in abandoned rodent burrows, and they can be found in sub-Arctic to sub-Tropical climates.

Friday 15 June 2018

Parmesan garlic basil crisps



It's as easy as this- Preheat the oven to 350F, line a baking pan with baking paper, drop tablespoons full of real, grated parmesan (not the kind from the shaker) onto the paper and flatten out a bit. Sprinkle with dried basil and garlic powder. Bake for 5 minutes. Let it cool. Eat.

You can make as many or as few as you want. Keeps for a week in the fridge in an airtight container.