Mt. Washington is a buzz about the lacking of buzzing

The backyard avocado tree that Dennis Campbell depends on to feed his fix for freshly made guacamole went barren early this summer and the Mt. Washington resident is blaming the bees. Or, the lack of them. Campbell, in the September issue of the Mt. Washington Newsletter, said he suspects the global honey bee die-off has left the neighborhood without enough bees to keep his avocado tree, as well as an apricot tree, sufficiently pollinated. In a little more than a month, Campbell only spotted two bees.

Now, he's asking his neighbors to help determine if a honey bee shortage has indeed hit Mt. Washington by conducting a fruit and insect census:

"Some bees are managing to survive, and Mount
Washington is a great habitat, so repopulation is
possible. First though, I’d like to try and determine the
extent of the problem by asking each of you the following questions:
• Have any your fruit trees gone barren this year?
• Have you seen any honey bees or yellow jackets
around your yard? Count ‘em if you can."

If the survey shows a local bee bust, Campbell says the next step will be to create a plan to return the buzzing insects and homemade guacamole to Mt. Washington.

photo by autan via flickr