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Catching a queen
The queen honey bee (there is usually only one in the colony) is the only bee able to lay fertilized eggs. Without the queen, the colony will soon die. The fertilized eggs she lays are the beginning of worker bees, and workers do most of the tasks required to keep the colony alive. Unfertilized eggs become drones.
How does a Camellia prepare for Winter?
Acamellia is not a camellia is not a camellia; camellia lovers know their shrubs and will be able to tell you more than you ever wanted to know about each variety. Many of the camellias that do well in Northeast Texas are “japonicas” that can grow to 12 feet tall by 8 feet wide, like small trees. Japonicas have large glossy leaves and usually bloom in late Winter, so these shrubs are setting their flower buds now. Japonicas can withstand our cold temperatures without missing a beat. We did not even cover ours during “Snowmageddon.” Camellia japonica flowers tend to die off together, instead of falling off petal by petal. We clip japonica blooms at their peak, bring them inside, and float them in water in shallow cobalt blue bowls for bright spots of color on cold grey days.
