Thursday 10 April 2014

Nowt but weeding!!!!!

So I haven't had as much time up the allotment as I would have liked for one reason and another but I am not going to go into that...the time I did get up there though was spent on weeding...well it's got to be done!!!

allotment needs weeding
So this is what it looked like before
I started!
 
So with this many weeds I decided I needed to have a plan of action and tackle it in stages....first off go through and hand pull all the shallow rooted weeds.

After weeding for an hour
After an hour I was left with this...
and very cold hands!!

After this I decided to get the hand fork and dig the slightly deeper rooted weeds out. Then I got the large garden and started tackling the dandelions...the worst of them all!!

two and a half hours of weeding and it's looking promising.
Two and a half hours of weeding
and it's looking promising.
 
Now my hope was to get all this finished tonight so that it would be free to dog tomorrow but as usual best laid plans and all that so I didn't quite get it finished.


Three hours in and only a little left to do.
Three hours in and only a little left to do.
So why didn't I get it all finished??? Runaway chicken is the answer!! I was the only one down the allotment when I first spotted the escape artist but luckily another couple of people arrived and between us we managed to coax it back into it's pen but by this time as you can tell from the above photo I reallt had run out of light. It was my first late 'nighter' on the allotment of the year though. I didn't get home until 8:44pm...and I only live 5 minutes away
 
Looking good if I do say so myself!!
Looking good if I do say so myself!!
 Even though I didn't get it all quite finished I am still pleased with what I  got done. Doesn't look too bad at all when you take a photo in the dark ....from a distance...lol




Fred the bean
Fred the bean

Oh and I would like to introduce you to Fred the bean plant. I think he is a French climber and was part of a classroom competition at school. I am just looking after him for the holidays...hope I don't damage him as the children have loving cared for him since he was planted. I have put him into a bigger pot and moved him to my greenhouse...I hope he's happy there!!
 
Oh and for those of you who read my previous post 'Name that bug?', it was indeed as Jo and Sue said in their comments a 'Bee Fly' and perfectly harmless to us, what appears to look like a sting isn't one at all, read below for a little more information on them...Oh and to have a recap on the picture!!

The Bee Fly
The Bee Fly
Apparently there are hundreds of different species of 'bee fly' but the life cycles of most species are known poorly, or not at all. They range in size from very small (2 mm in length) to very large for flies (wingspan of some 40 mm). When at rest, many species hold their wings at a characteristic "swept back" angle. Adults generally feed on nectar and pollen, some being important pollinators, often with spectacularly long proboscises (that's the long bit that looks like a sting!). In parts of East Anglia locals refer to them as 'beewhals'  thanks to their tusk-like appendages. Many Bee flies superficially resemble bees which is how they got there common name. Possibly the resemblance is aposematic, affording the adults some protection from predators.

The larval stages are predators or parasitoids of the eggs and larvae of other insects. The adult females usually deposit eggs in the vicinity of possible hosts, quite often in the burrows of beetles or wasps/solitary bees. Although insect parasitoids usually are fairly host-specific, often highly host-specific, some Bee flies are opportunistic and will attack a variety of hosts.

While the Bee fly include a large number of species in great variety, most species do not often appear in abundance, and for its size this is one of the most poorly known families of insects. There are at least 4,500 described species, and certainly thousands yet to be described.

So there you have it, a few interesting facts you may never have known about a harmless little insect which is as useful to us as the bees for pollination. I must say, I am pleased it won't bother the hives!!
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18 comments:

  1. I feel your pain with the weeding! With such a mild winter nothing has died and now we've got lots to deal with!

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    1. It is a pain....but in the crazy world we live in also weirdly reassuring!!

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  2. You may not have gotten all the weeding done but you sure did accomplish a lot.
    Interesting about the Bee Fly

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    1. Thanks Ann...It makes me feel so much better when someone else tells me I have accomplished a lot!!

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  3. You have do a very good job! Your garden must be so interesting!

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  4. You need to requisition a miners hat from one of the pits they are intent on closing! Then you could carry on into the night :)

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    1. This is such a great idea Sue, I can definitely look into this...I warn you though...when Hubby starts moaning at me I will point him in your direction!! lol

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  5. How is it that weeds grow better than anything else? It's great to have the lighter nights again, I actually feel like doing something rather than hunkering down and turning on the tv.

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    1. It is weird isn't it Jo....I have always wondered if I just chucked my veg seeds around the plot and tried to cultivate the weeds whether I could fool them into taking role reversals...What do you think??

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  6. I wish I had your energy! I'd never even heard of a bee fly.

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    1. The energy often leaves me well before I leave the plot...It's not so much about my energy levels but my stubbornness in not giving in!! I have to admit that I had to research the bee fly. Love the fact that the garden is always teaching my new things!!

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  7. An awful job but at least you're nearly done.

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    1. Shame about the weeds hidden behind the brassicas Joanne.

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  8. Dear Tanya, Lucky for the chicken you all were there to save it.
    Well, it does look like you did quite a good job with the weeding. It looks great! Have a nice weekend. Blessings dear. Catherine xo

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    1. Certainly glad I spotted it before a fox. The weeding is always going to be there/....but now it should be a little easier...the first of the season is always time consuming.

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  9. If you enjoyed that job, and you clearly did, then it's just as well you have an allotment! At least the other parts of the allotment job are not so monotonous.

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    1. I don't mind the monotony Mal...it gives me time to think, reflect and plan!!

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keep it clean...keep it relevant...I look forward to reading your comments!!