It has to be good news for bee lovers that researchers at Warwick University are investigating a naturally occurring fungus that can kill the varroa mite, a terrible threat to the honey bee population worldwide.  The researchers have had success with bee ‘footbaths’ containing fungal spores and to find out more log onto:

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/fungus_foot_baths

In the meantime, we can all help boost the health of our local bee population by trying to grow at least some of the plants that encourage and support these crucial little creatures, and now is the time to make plans for next year’s planting.

Any half decent gardening book nowadays will provide lists of plants designed to encourage bees (and butterflies), but I thought I would share the details of some of the ones I grow in my own garden and which I have observed to be a magnet for beneficial flying insects of all sorts, but especially bees and hoverflies.  Bear in mind that my soil is a light sandy loam and this is reflected in the type of plants I cultivate:

Early in the growing season, aubretia, wallflowers and violets will encourage bees and benefit our early flowering fruit.  It always gives me a real buzz to see the first bees clustering on the purple aubretia outside my kitchen window in February/March - then I know that Spring has really arrived!

Herbs grow abundantly in every nook and cranny here and once the lavender, thyme, sage and oregano start to flower the air hums noticeably from dawn to dusk with the happy sound of nature’s pollinators doing their stuff.  Hyssop flowers too are a magnet for  bees and work very well near my courgettes - just a short flight and a bumper crop results.  The contrast of the dense mauve hyssop heads and the bright yellow of the courgette flowers makes a stunning contrast.

I inherited golden rod (Solidago species) when moving here and found it aesthetically very unappealing.  It was destined originally in my plans for the compost heap, but when I saw the cloud of bees fighting for space on it day after day during the flowering season, I swallowed my distaste and allowed it to proliferate.  The attraction it has for them is quite astounding and more than compensates for its untidy habit and murky, mustard yellow flowers.

Similarly, a clump of cotoneaster horizontalis which sprawls near the pond is ‘worked’ assiduously for hours by ranks of worker bees who steadily advance across the buds like troops on exercise.  Unfortunately they sometimes fall in the water and have to be rescued with a small net I keep nearby for the purpose!  I am not a shrub person in general, but would advocate finding a space for this one if you possibly can.

As a generality it is agreed that native plants are best for native insects, so think twice about yanking up those ‘weeds’ such as knapweed, clover and daisies, and use the autumn and winter to do a bit of research of your own on which of those weeds might be better left.  They may not have big showy blooms but the bees will thank you for allowing them to survive and so will our declining population of butterflies.  Biodiversity is the key to the survival of all species on the planet!

If you have a taste for the statuesque in your planting, consider foxgloves, delphiniums and echinacea as well as the ever popular alliums, all of which I have found to be successful in attracting bees.  They also add some structure against the undisciplined shape of herbs - unless of course you have the time to cultivate your herbs in the formal structure of a knot garden!

We are pleased to announce the release of our new egg tracking tool the Egg Miles Calculator.

The new tool allows you to look at your shop bought egg and enter the code that is printed onto it, the calculator will then check out where in the country the egg has come from and give you an approximate mileage reading for it.

As with any tool this is an approximation, but it does give an interesting insight into just how local your eggs are!
Let us know what you think in our Organic Forum! Happy Tracking

Ok, we said it before, but this time we mean it.

The Organic Forum has been upgraded, smoothed off, refreshed and painted to a sparkling shine.

Our previous forum software was found to be hard to use and buggy, but we have now invested in the new one and so far the results are very promising!

We hope you enjoy it so check it out

My word time flies, we are still around and we are still adding sites to the directory.

As with all things in life its trying to find the time to fit it all in.

In the mean time check out one of our bloggers new sites which we think is really great

www.5mcoffee.com

What an inspiring story the Mail is showing today on their website.

A village in Hampshire has risen up, as a community against the local supermarkets and started producing lots of their own food, from potatoes to pigs!

The “community allotment” sells 45 types of vegetables and 100 chickens a week, and is run by a committee which includes a radiologist, a computer programmer and a former probation officer.

Felicity Kendall eat your heart out!

Full Story

I was sent a link this evening to a great site that I hope anyone that might read this (if there are any) has already signed up to.

The site is Compassion In World Farming at http://www.ciwf.org.uk/

The site makes for uncomfortable reading when you watch some of the videos on there. Sign up to support the cause… http://support.ciwf.org.uk/ciwf/default.asp

This is from their website:

The Problem:

Cattle

The archaic trade in live calf exports resumed last year, with its haunting images of needless suffering. Thousands of British born male dairy calves were taken from their mothers shortly after birth and later herded into huge containers in the dead of night. They were then shipped overseas to continue their journeys into the unknown. Some calves were sent all the way to Spain on journeys that took over 60 hours, causing them to suffer greatly for long periods of time in shocking conditions. Many of them endured unnecessary pain, stress, fear or illness, sometimes being shipped in severe weather causing injury or death. Once they finally reach the continent, calves are frequently kept on concrete or slatted floors without any straw or other bedding, in barren systems that are illegal in the UK.Due to the increased demands for milk, selective breeding has allowed the proliferation of high-yield dairy cows. Females face a life of repeated impregnation to provide for the human demand for milk. Male calves are frequently unwanted as they are not thought to be meaty enough to rear as beef cattle, thus are often shot at birth.

Pigs

Around 1.3 billion pigs are slaughtered annually for meat worldwide. At least half the world’s pig meat is produced from intensive or industrial systems, housing pigs in crowded indoor pens often with no straw or bedding. They are commonly subjected to painful mutilations without pain relief. High rates of growth can often cause stress on their bodies leading to problems with ulcers, heart failure and lameness. Sows kept for breeding and producing meat pigs are often caged whilst pregnant in metal-barred stalls so narrow that they can’t even turn around or exercise. This ‘sow stall’ system has been banned in the UK following our campaigns but is widespread in Europe and worldwide. Farrowing crates are still legal in the UK, with the majority of sows giving birth in these tightly confined metal crates leading to high levels of frustration and stress. Their food is restricted so much that many experience chronic hunger.

Chickens

Worldwide, around 48 billion chickens are slaughtered annually for meat. Over 70% of them are raised in industrial farming systems confining them in windowless, barren and crowded sheds of up to 16 to 20 birds per square metre. By the time they reach slaughter age at 6 weeks old they often have less space than one A4 sheet of paper per chicken. Due to excessive growth rates, many suffer from painful lameness caused by abnormal skeletal development or bone disease. Some have difficulty in walking or even standing - unable to even reach water, they can go thirsty for days.

I got a really interesting email this week regarding a new “eco” product that is taking the country by storm. It’s one for you dog owners and it’s called the Poopod!

A dog loving British family has created the ultimate accessory for responsible dog owners. When Nicole, their 15 year old, made it clear that carrying a smelly, steamy bag full of dog poop, when walking their Yorkie Rosie, was just not good for her image at all, the Bells worked together to develop the ingenious, award winning, Poopod as a fresh solution to a dirty problem.

The Poopod is a clever, all in one device that includes a dog lead attached to a bag dispenser with a sealed container allowing pet owners to discreetly dispose of their dog’s mess without leaving the scent of ‘Eau de Poop’, wafting behind.

With over 900 tonnes of ‘it’ being deposited in Britain every day, complaints about dog mess have created a big stink all over the country. Responsible dog owners have been rallying against this flow of faeces and armed with Poopods they are a force not to be sniffed at.

As a multi-award winning product, The Bell family won a ‘double gold’ award at The British Invention Show. And Sue and Nicole Bell won a ‘special recognition for innovation award’ for Poopod at the Womens’ Innovation Inventors Awards only three days after Poopod’s hugely successful debut at Crufts. And there is a good reason for that!

Embarrassment when carrying a warm, squishy bag of dog droppings is the reason given by 90% of those who still won’t clean up after their dog according to a survey undertaken by the Department of the Environment. The Poopod transcends this tricky issue by making it convenient, simple, clean and smell free to store and dispose of messy dog waste.

Everything you need for your dog’s walk is simplified into one great product. Just clip the detachable lead provided - or even your own lead - to the Poopod, attach your dog and you are ready for walkies. Once your dog makes his deposit, you can proudly demonstrate what a caring and responsible dog owner you are by pulling out a handy bag from your Poopod dispenser. You can then place the used bag into the scented Poopod compartment and no one will ever be any the wiser, until you dispose of your parcel properly.

Sue Bell, MD of Poopod explains: “Rosie and I enjoy our walks so much more since we invented the Poopod. I can take her anywhere now and I never get embarrassed by her little presents any more.”

The Poopod comes in two sizes, ensuring that dogs of all breeds can have embarrassment free owners. They even do a pink one for those image conscious owners like Nicole. Available from just £11.99, you can be the first in your neighbourhood to lead the way to a cleaner, sweeter smelling dog walk.

Find out more at http://www.poopod.com

Genius!

Thank you chancellor for introducing a tax on plastic bags - about time !
The Irish have been used to paying for this for some time, some small towns in the UK are adopting a no plastic approach and parts of Europe have banned their use also.

We take along our jute bags when shopping at supermarkets and actively refuse plastic bags in other stores as well (although shop assistants are often hell-bent on packing it straight into a plastic bag and look at you blankly when you ask for the goods to ‘not’ be packed…)

Each week we head to the local recycling depot with a boot load of paper, plastic and glass items

We try and shop responsibly and perhaps we are not like everyone else and recycle more than the average person, but I am increasingly concerned at how much packaging exists on our food and everyday items.

Reducing the amount of packaging on food can go some way to regulating and reducing the cost of the products we buy.

Remember to ‘Just Say No !’ to plastic bags, buy items in bulk (usually with little or no packaging) and support retailers who adopt the same approach.

as seen on Inzvestor

We finally managed to recover the database from our forum yesterday and as a result the forum is back up and running.

We know it will take time to return to its former glory but we are ever hopeful.

If you want to share your ideas on all things green then get over to www.organiclinker.com/forums and say hi.  We are a friendly bunch!

A new program pointed out to me looks like it could help to cut down on the amount of paper we all waste when printing from the web. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has tried to print something from the net only to find 2 or 3 pages that are all but blank, save the url and date.

If like me that makes you really angry check out http://www.printgreener.com/index.html It has a free version which I have played with that seems to do a lot already.

Save Trees! Think before you print