DIY Life

By Bethany Sanders

Colony collapse disorder, the mysterious phenomenon that has entire colonies of honeybees vanishing into thin air, has brought the state of our bee population to the forefront. Not many people realize this, but bees pollinate about 90% of our flowering crops. What that means is: without bees, we don't eat.

Creating a bee-friendly yard may not solve the issue of colony collapse disorder, but it is a great way of doing your part to encourage a healthy bee population. It'll also ensure that any of your own fruit, vegetable, and flower crops get pollinated, so that you have fresh food to eat and a beautiful yard to enjoy. In addition, the same plants that draw bees bring other pollinators, like butterflies.

So how do you go about attracting bees to your yard? It's not difficult at all. Read more about it after the break.

By Bethany Sanders

I'm usually all for letting nature just be in my backyard. I'd rather take preventative measures (like the fence around my garden to deter hungry bunnies) that allow us all to live harmoniously together than poison, trap, or kill. Sometimes, though, insects get a little too intrusive and that can be a problem, especially when they're insects that sting.

If you have a wasp problem in your backyard, the best way to get rid of them is to remove the nest. We have to do that at least twice a year in our children's "fort," and we try to keep an eye on it so we can stop the nest building before it gets out of hand. But if you can't find the nest or are afraid to move it, a simple, homemade wasp trap may help you catch the queen (especially if you use it in the spring) or reduce the number of wasps in the area nearest your home.

Keep in mind that wasp traps' effectiveness are not proven, and if you aren't careful, you could end up drawing more wasps to your home. In addition, wasps really are beneficial insects who eat the bugs that bug you the most. So if you can live in harmony, do. If you can't, these simple measures are worth a try.

It's been all over the news for about six months now: there is a bee shortage. While this probably means catastrophic things for our planet in general terms, more specifically, it leaves us with a lack of honey for cooking and body care products, and less beeswax than we'd like to make lip balms and other lovelies.

What about the long-term effects the dwindling bee population could have on our plants? Without bees to pollinate them, our blooms could fade into just a memory.

Have you thought about becoming a beekeeper?

Colony collapse disorder, the mysterious phenomenon that has entire colonies of honeybees vanishing into thin air, has brought the state of our bee population to the forefront. Not many people realize this, but bees pollinate about 90% of our flowering crops. What that means is: without bees, we don't eat.

Creating a bee-friendly yard may not solve the issue of colony collapse disorder, but it is a great way of doing your part to encourage a healthy bee population. It'll also ensure that any of your own fruit, vegetable, and flower crops get pollinated, so that you have fresh food to eat and a beautiful yard to enjoy. In addition, the same plants that draw bees bring other pollinators, like butterflies.

So how do you go about attracting bees to your yard? It's not difficult at all. Read more about it after the break.

What better way to add spice to your summer table than a cool, sassy wasp cake! This scary looking creature is an original creation by Cloth and Fodder, and while it certainly involves quite a few steps, the end product is definitely worth the effort.

The wings on this bad boy are made of toffee, and the legs, eyes and antennae are dark chocolate that has been melted and formed. The cake shown is a zesty lemon flavor, fitting for a summer evening, but could be made from your favorite: chocolate, yellow, carrot....

This cake might not be for the beginner baker, but it sounds delicious and well worth all of your hard work. I think it would be fun to fashion a few of them for a small swarm of cake wasps on the table.

I'm usually all for letting nature just be in my backyard. I'd rather take preventative measures (like the fence around my garden to deter hungry bunnies) that allow us all to live harmoniously together than poison, trap, or kill. Sometimes, though, insects get a little too intrusive and that can be a problem, especially when they're insects that sting.

If you have a wasp problem in your backyard, the best way to get rid of them is to remove the nest. We have to do that at least twice a year in our children's "fort," and we try to keep an eye on it so we can stop the nest building before it gets out of hand. But if you can't find the nest or are afraid to move it, a simple, homemade wasp trap may help you catch the queen (especially if you use it in the spring) or reduce the number of wasps in the area nearest your home.

Keep in mind that wasp traps' effectiveness are not proven, and if you aren't careful, you could end up drawing more wasps to your home. In addition, wasps really are beneficial insects who eat the bugs that bug you the most. So if you can live in harmony, do. If you can't, these simple measures are worth a try.

Happy St. Patrick's day! Why not have some fun in your garden this St. Paddy's Day and sow a clover lawn. "But why would I want a clover lawn?" I hear you ask.

Answer: to give your leprechaun a nice place to frolic, of course! Or think of it as your way to honor the famous saint of the Emerald Isles, whose emblem is -- as we all know -- the shamrock, or three-leaf clover.

According to WikiHow, the best kind of clover to grow here in the US is actually White Dutch Clover. (Don't worry, it still looks very Irish!) A good place to sow your seeds is anywhere that your pre-existing lawn was struggling due to unfavorable conditions, such as too much shade or poor drainage.

For even coverage, mix the clover seeds with soil and then spread that mixture around, raking it smooth as you go. Next, gently cover your seeds with a very thin (quarter inch) layer of soil. The last step is watering, which should be done every day until the seeds can be seen sprouting. Use only a very fine mist to water--anything more vigorous will disturb your baby seedlings.