leafcutter bee cocoon harvest and sundries

it was time to look into the bees situation so i brought the nesting block up from the basement and opened it...

there were five plugged tubes in the block and aside from the odd dead earwig ( earwigs and solitary bees seem inseparable...the swarm the bee houses with no apparent harm tot he bees or the cocoons...still... ) they yielded thirty-four leaf cutter bee cocoons...

so i soaked some sphagnum moss in distilled water and pit it in a flowerpot liner i had poked holes in and upended it into a container so there would be a humid atmosphere in the container...

i packed some plastic wrap around the flowerpot liner to make sure there would be no direct contact between the cocoons and the moss, put in the cocoons, applied the lid, and put them in the vegetable crisper until nest june when i will release them with the cocoons i purchased for delivery then...

in other early december news, the teosinte in the basement is doing well...the leaves are beginning to broaden nicely...

the bogota market mashua cutting has new growth appearing which is pleasing...it is a clear indication that the plant has rooted and, with luck and work, will produce seed tubers for outside planting in spring..at eight bucks a pop for seed tuber, growing my own is the only economically sound alternative...

finally ( but not least ) Jean's "puddle wheat" had become increasingly "leggy" under the lights and crashed over...so i lowered the light again and new vertical growth has ensued...we may see eleusinian ears eventually.