the alameda county ardeneruc master gardener program of alameda county february - march 2016 page 3...

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IT’S EDUCATIONAL

❦ Hummingbird Sage Page 3

❦ Backyard Beekeeper 1

❦ Citrus Pest Page 9

ACMGs AT WORK

❦ Quarry Lakes Page 4

❦ Visit Livermore Demo Garden Page 5

❦ 2016 Trials Garden Page 6

❦ Pumpkins, a Tasty Crop Page 7

❦ MGs Around the County Page 10

ACMG BUSINESS

❦ 2016 Training Class Begins Page 1

❦ Calendar of MG Events Page 2

❦ Advisory Board Update Page 8

2016 ACMG Training ClassDolores Morrison ’14

O n January 5, 2016, with great excitement we welcomed the Alameda County Master Gardener Training Class of 2016. We are so pleased they are here and wish them

every success in their training.

This 2016 MG training is unique in several ways. One criti-cal way is that this is the first time the whole training activity has been coordinated by MG volunteers without the support of a Coordinator. The complete effort — from the application pro-cess, finding a location, developing the curriculum, contacting speakers, setting up mentor groups and the many logistics of the weekly running of the class — was all a volunteer effort.

Margot Wenger (2014), chair of the New Volunteer Training Class, has done a fabulous job pulling everything and every-one together. Margot says, “Dozens of hardworking MGs have really stepped up to make this class happen and to make it the best class possible. It has been a challenging effort but my co-leads Kerry Johnson, Irene Beebe and Ed Ellebracht and I have been supported and inspired not only by the diverse talents of our fellow MGs but also by a strong sense of community that

has been built in the process. Kudos to the entire training team!”

The cur-riculum commit-tee has

GardenerThe Alameda County

February & March 2016

Gardener at a Glance

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UC Master Gardener Program of Alameda County February - March 2016

lined up a wonderful group of speakers. New to this class will be a lecture on California Natives by Bart O’Brien, Botanic Garden Manager, East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden. The committee also developed a number of hands-on labs. After an excellent soil lecture on January 12 by ACMG Marion Adams Yoxall (2012), trainees got their hands dirty with two soil texture tests, the Mason Jar Method and the Ribbon Test. They also tried to determine soil pH using readily available pH tests. Future labs will include plant terminology, weed identification, body mechanics in the garden, prop-agation, container gardening, interviewing clients and presentation skills.

An underlying goal of the committee is to make trainees feel welcome and to help them learn about the program throughout their training. A key com-ponent of that effort is the mentor process. Each group of trainees, called a pod, has a mentor and a homework monitor. The mentor and homework monitor work as a team to support and encourage trainees through training and after graduation.

Perhaps most important of all are the Class Stewards, the folks responsible for setting up the classroom with tables, chairs, presentation equip-ment and refreshment areas, and for greeting the speaker and students. At the end of class stewards take everything down and put it away. If you come early or stay late you will see this organized group of people working quickly and efficiently. And to those attending the class it is all seamless. Well done, Stewards!

This class of trainees is encouraged to get out and see Alameda County Master Gardeners in action by visiting ACMG sites and activities. They will get homework credit for their visits. If you see a trainee while doing your MG activities stop and say hello The Class of 2016 is going to be a great asset to our community. Graduation is May 10, 2016. Be sure to mark it on your calendar and join us in our graduation festivities.

CalendarPlease visit our VMS website https://ucanr.org/mg/

for a complete calendar, for details of all MG events & to sign up.

Feb-Mar Garden of Grace workdays, every Tuesday & Wednesday 10 AM - 12 PM, every Friday 3 - 5 PM, first & third Saturdays 9 - 11 AM. 4743 East Avenue, Livermore.

Feb-Mar 11 AM - 1 PM Lake Merritt Trials Garden work-days/outreach every Wednesday (& from Mar-Oct on second & fourth Saturdays). 666 Bellevue Avenue, Oakland.

Feb-Mar 9 AM - 12 PM Livermore Demo Garden workday, every second Saturday. 3575 Greenville Road, Livermore.

Feb-Mar People’s Victory Garden workdays, second & fourth Wednesday 1 - 2:30 PM, first & third Saturday 10 AM - noon. 666 Bellevue Avenue, Oakland.

Feb-Mar 9 AM - 12 PM Quarry Lakes Demo Garden workdays first Saturday & third Tuesday; other days as scheduled on VMS. Quarry Lakes Park. 2100 Isherwood Way, Fremont.

Feb-Mar 10 AM - 12 PM Oak Tree Farm workday every Tuesday. 1440 29th Avenue, Oakland.

Feb-Mar 3 - 4 PM Albany Demonstration Garden work-days first & third Tuesday. 900 Buchanan Street, Albany.

Feb-Mar 10 AM - 1 PM Help Desk Sessions Monday, Wednesday & Thursday.

Feb-Mar 1 - 5 PM 2016 ACMG Training Class, every Tuesday.

Feb 17 6:30 PM Advisory Board meeting. UCCE Office, 224 West Winton Avenue, Room 134, Hayward.

Feb 13 10- 11 AM Garden Talk. Livermore Demo Garden. Mulch: It Does a Garden Good.

Mar 16 6:30 PM Advisory Board meeting. UCCE Office, 224 West Winton Avenue, Room 134, Hayward.

Mar 5 8:45 AM - 1 PM Plant Doctor Booth begins, Saturdays at Pleasanton Farmers Market. See VMS to sign up for shifts.

Mar 10 Newsletter articles due for February/March issue. Send to [email protected].

(continued from Page 1) 2016 MG Training


Help an Oak Tree

W hile working at the Livermore Demo Garden and the Quarry Lakes

Demo Garden, I was introduced to a unique native plant, Salvia spathacea — hummingbird sage. The pretty flowers caught my attention as they attracted butter-flies, bees and hummingbirds.

I decided this plant would be a nice addition to my garden, so one day I took home some prunings and successfully propagated them. Now I have two Salvia spathaceas growing in my back yard, produc-ing rose colored flowers and at-tracting a nice array of wildlife.

Hummingbird Sage in the Livermore Demo GardenJudy Matthew ’10

Like most sages, the humming-bird sage has aromatic foliage, but

it looks very different from other sages such as Salvia clevelandii which are common in gardens in California.

Unlike other sages, Salvia spathacea is a clumping plant and not a bush. It spreads by rhizomes to become a larger and larger clump over time.

It can take quite a bit of sun, but will also thrive in dry shade, needing very little water in the summer months. This sage can be used as a ground cover under oak trees, but it should be given good drainage to avoid root rot in wet winter months.

A UC Davis Arbor-etum All Star, hummingbird sage is a native plant found

from the Bay Area down to South-ern California. It is a perennial herb with 6 inch leaves shaped like arrowheads, deep green, rough textured on the upper surface and fuzzy on the underside, as well as a little sticky to the touch.

It begins flowering in the winter and will continue to produce flow-ers on stalks rising to 2 or 3 feet until May or June. The magenta or rose colored flowers are about 1.5 to 2 inches long and appear at in-tervals along the stalk. At the end of the flowering period, the stalks should be removed.

Visit the Livermore Demo Gar-den or the Quarry Lakes Demo Garden to see hummingbird sage and many California natives and other plants suitable for low water gardens.


E very winter since we first started planting the Quarry Lakes Demonstration Garden,

we confidently declare, “Next spring will be the year for the Natives Gar-den.”

And then spring arrives and we get lots of yarrow and even more weeds. It is our most stubborn garden prob-lem and biggest frustration.

When I asked for input from Mas-ter Gardener volunteers in prepara-tion for this article, Sylvia Marusarz responded, “We are still waiting for natives to take off . . . I think this is our year!”

So we haven’t given up hope, but we are pragmatists. Our current plan for natives is to see what survives and then plant more of that. By the way, we could really use more volunteers to help with those weeds I mentioned. It is a large area, and we have never been able to completely weed that garden.

We are also anxiously waiting spring to see how the new plantings perform in the other gardens. The Grass-es, Sensory, and Outstanding Plants gardens got a lot of attention last year, and we are expecting a big payoff (fingers crossed).

Quarry Lakes:Fingers CrossedNancie Ryan ’08

With the help of the Park District, we brought in a lot more boulders last year, and we will continue to add to the hardscape design with rocks and timber.

Our big news of 2015-2016 is the Succulent Garden, which is undergoing a major overhaul. Ed Ellebracht temporarily removed most of the plants and then brought in substantial quantities of compost, decom-posed granite and horticultural pumice to improve the soil, and he created berms to improve drainage.

It is interesting to note that a soil test showed that the soil was nearly 100 percent clay, and Ed had to use a broadfork to break up the soil, much of which was badly compacted.

As part of the project, Ed expand-ed the garden, and he has created a detailed design allowing for dry creek runs to be used as paths from which we can garden, leaving all of the other areas free of foot traffic and hopefully reducing future com-paction.

Once the paths are complete, he will begin the arduous task of replanting all of the succulents he removed, as well as many from his private collection. The Succulent Garden is a favorite with the public, and we are excited to show how beautiful succulents can be in the home garden.

One of the many succulents flourishing in the garden: Opuntia — rabbit or beaver ear.

Keep watching...this section of the garden will soon be changing.



C old, drippy January! And thank goodness! The hills surrounding the Livermore

Valley are starting to acquire the velvety green that is normal for these winter months. Soon we will start watching for the first sign of spring which will be the almonds trees popping blossoms. Not being a native Californian, but a transplant of almost 45 years, I never get tired of this harbinger of spring. The spotting of the first almond blossoms always brings a smile!

Almond blossoms are probably a month away, at least, but walking around the Livermore Demonstra-tion Garden Saturday there are pockets of loveliness that brighten a grey January day. The “Iceberg” climbing rose is still blooming away. If you want a rose that is fool proof, try “Iceberg’. It can be purchased as either a floribunda or a climber and it thrives on neglect. The builder of the homes in my area put many of these white roses

in the front yards of the homes they built. Most people don’t fertilize them and certainly don’t worry or even notice signs of insects or disease, mainly because there aren’t any!

Last week, after my husband and I spent the morning pruning 20 hybrid tea roses, fretting over each cut we made, I heard the noise of a machine next door. I looked over to see our neigh-bor “pruning” his 30 or so “Iceberg” roses with a weed whacker! He was done in an hour, and the roses will be fine. Gorgeous, in fact!

In another area of the Demo garden shines one of my all

The blooms of the “Christmas Cheer,” a kniphofia variety, welcome visitors to the winter garden.

January Gloom Getting You Down? Visit a Demonstration GardenSharri Wentz ’06

time favorite small trees: Arbutus unedo. Arbutus is commonly called “Strawberry Tree,” but the fruit produced around this time of year does not at all taste like strawber-ries! I suppose you could eat them if you were desperate because the fruit is not poisonous. It shows its connection to manzanitas and madrone with the same lovely little bell shaped flower in the early spring which turns to straw-berry-like fruits that progress from yellow, orange and red as they mature.

The fruit is a bit of a mess when it falls. Planting an Arbutus away from a sidewalk or patio in

Fruits on the Arbutus unedo, the :Strawberry Tree.”


O ur Annual Meeting and Social: Thirteen members of the Trials Garden team

met on Sunday, January 24 at David Blood’s home in Oakland to review our past year and to plan 2016. We celebrated our successes (we will be nine years old in May), and we look forward to the follow-ing events and additions for the coming year:

New Self-Guided Tour Coming: Because MGs are only at Lake Merritt a few hours each week, we realize that we could reach and educate many more resi-dents if we developed a self-guided tour with a pamphlet that visitors could access to learn on their own. A subcom-mittee will work on developing such a pamphlet, with the ap-propriate signage, to increase the number of people we reach.

Trials for 2016: We are plan-ning some new varieties of tomatoes we have not tried before. We also hope to trial some different soil mixtures with our tomatoes to see which work best. We want to trial some different cucumber vari-eties other than lemon cucum-bers so we can expand our rec-ommended list. Finally we plan to try a variety of Asian greens during the cooler months.

Our Annual Talk and Plant Doctor Series: This year’s talks will follow a slightly different format from previous years, with a short presentation on a specific topic followed by a lon-ger question/answer and Plant Doctor session. There will be several MGs on hand to help visitors with whatever their issues are. We will offer talks at the new time of 1:30 to

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2:30 PM, to reduce conflicts with the myriad other events occurring at Lake Merritt.

Talks will continue to be offered on the second Saturday of each month, April through September. Possible topics are: Recommended Varieties of Summer Veggies; Basic Composting; Worm Composting; Basics of Drip Irrigation; Tips for Gardening in a Drought; Manag-ing Common Pests and Diseases; Recommended Varieties of Win-ter Veggies; and Cover Crops. We have a subcommittee that will plan which topics and help with adver-tising.

PLEASE JOIN US! Are you interested in learning more about the Trials Garden? Join us any Wednesday between 11 and 1 PM. Saturday workdays will be second Saturdays, April through Septem-ber only, from 12:30 until 2:30. We love to see new faces at the garden. Sign up on the VMS.

Members of the Trials Garden team at David Blood’s house 1/12/16: Bottom row: Sam Foushee, Kitty Mindel, Margaret Wong. Second row: Sally Hughes, Eve Holguin, Alison Limoges. Top row: David Blood, Jennifer Cardoza, Alice Gore, Maureen Crosgrove, Irene Beebe, Margot Wenger and Irene Rakochy.

2016 Plans for Lake Merritt Trials GardenSam Foushee ’01 a mulched area solves the prob-

lem. The fruit seems to dry up and disappear fast. Perhaps one of the most beautiful parts of the tree is its shiny orange trunk that contrasts beautifully with the glossy evergreen leaves. Our two trees are in their prime right now, showing not only the varied colors of fruit, but also the bell flowers. Of course, this evergreen tree is drought resistant and it tolerates the valley’s clay soil.

One can’t visit the Livermore Demonstration Garden this time of year without noticing the kniphofia that flanks either side of our sign. It is the hybrid variety ‘Christmas Cheer’ and shows its South African roots by blooming now (their sum-mer). This particular plant came to us from UC Davis as a trials plant and as a 5 gallon plant. I think it took several of us to divide it into two plants, and I am so glad that we did. It really draws attention to our sign and to the garden. We have other kniphofia that bloom in late spring. They all thrive in our heat and lack of water, but none are as spectacular as this variety.

There will be some breaks in the lovely rain that we’ve been receiving. Do join us in the garden for a bit of sunshine! The garden is open to the public every day during daylight hours. Join MGs on the second Saturday of every month for maintenance work and to enjoy this beautiful garden.

Visit a Demo Garden(continued from Page 5)


A s some of you know, I’m an avid edible gardener. Because I

work for Renee’s Garden, I have a variety of seeds from which to choose. I like to try new things from outside the Renee’s Garden seed line be-cause most of her seeds are my favorites already. With these new varieties I like to see how well they do in my area, how good they taste, what kind of production I get and if they are somewhat disease/pest resistant.

Last year, I tried a new pumpkin called Musquee De Provence. I had one plant in my front yard, and it expanded out all over my front yard with about 15 or so pumpkins. Some were very big in size( 50+ lbs) and the last ones were somewhat smaller (20+ lbs).

This year I planted one vine in a shadier location in my backyard and got 5 pumpkins that were medium to small size. Actually, this amount is much better for my family to handle than the first years planting. The pumpkins have a beautiful deep dark green color when they first start out and turn into a tan/orange color on the outside when perfectly ripe.

They hold well on the vine even if the vine dies. Just make sure you have some-thing underneath them to prevent bugs from gnawing on the bottom. I just harvest-ed my last two small ones on January 6.

What I like so much about these pumpkins is how much flesh you get, the taste of the pumpkin after roasting and the COLOR! Wow, it’s a dark cantaloupe melon shade. There is a strong pumpkin flavor, not too sweet, but just right.

They are very dense inside with flesh so they take more time than a typical sugar pie pumpkin to roast in the oven, but well worth it. The skin is very tough so be careful with the knife when you cut it into sections.

Edible Garden Favorites: PumpkinsPaula Glocovic ’10

Sometimes it’s best to cut the thinner sections of the pumpkin into one piece and the thicker sections into another piece.

I cut my pumpkins into pieces and place on a cook-ing sheet with a raised edge. I bake them at 425 degrees until a fork inserted in the thickest section of the piece goes in easily. You will find that you may be taking out the thinner pieces from the oven before the thicker pieces.

Let the pumpkin cool until it’s safe to touch. Once you can touch them, use a spoon orl if you are comfort-able, with a knife, remove the inside flesh, leaving the outer pumpkin skin intact. The spoon is helpful due to the ribbing on the pumpkins. It allows me to scoop most of the flesh out, leaving only the skin.

You can put the skin into your compost pile. The seeds are good to eat, too. I’m saving all of the seeds so if you want to try growing one this year, just ask me for a seed.

I place all of the roasted pumpkin into my blender and blend it until it’s smooth. Typically, I end up on the high setting for a couple of minutes to make sure it’s super smooth. Then I place that pumpkin puree in containers and freeze most of it.

I’ve been enjoying making so many things out of my

pumpkin puree. I’ve made Pumpkin Gnocchi’s, Pump-kin Scones, Pumpkin Creme Brulee, Pumpkin Pancakes (Yum), Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread, Pumpkin Ravi-olis, Pumpkin Biscottis, Pumpkin Soup and more.

My favorite thing to make is a Pumpkin Lasagna. It’s vegetarian and it’s fabulous. (See the recipe on the next page.)



Advisory Board UpdateVeronika Fukson ’06

T he ACMG Advisory Board is off to a great start in 2016, welcoming two new members, Irene Beebe ’14 and Wanda Stewart ’14. Serving as Advisory

Board officers are President, Veronika Fukson; Vice President, Margot Wenger; Secretary, Nancy Elzig; and Treasurer, Jean Follette.

Highlights of the January meeting, held at our new location on West Winton Avenue in Hayward:

Three ACMGs have been invited to participate on the interview panel for the selection of the new Co-ordinator. Interviews are to be held during the first part of February. We are looking forward to meeting the candidates and anxiously awaiting the new hire.

The second Annual Plant Sale will be held on the grounds of Tennyson High School, Hayward. The school has a very active gardening group and has generously offered to share their space with us for growing and selling. Ed Ellebracht is coordinating the project, and he is looking for MGs to join him in the work, which is essential to our fundraising efforts. We’ll be reaching out to all of you to partici-pate.

The Training Committee’s organization of the new class of 39 Master Gardener trainees is proceeding successfully (read the article on Page 1).

Updated guidelines for continuing education credit are under consideration and will be decided at the February Board meeting.

The By-laws Committee is hard at work streamlin-ing our regulations, which we hope to present to the membership in the spring.

The Regional Representative (North County) posi-tion on the Advisory Board is vacant and needs to be filled. If you are interested, contact the Board. We need your participation.

Our website needs the help of a webmaster, so if you have computer skills, please contact the Board. We will be forever in your debt!!

The Board is seeking interested MGs to coordinate the Alameda County Fair. This is an important event with county-wide impact, so please consider volun-teering.

As gardeners, I’m sure you are overjoyed by the rain we have been receiving. I can see such a difference in my garden, which is bursting with young poppies, callas, hellebores and bulbs of all sorts! Here’s to more rain and a deep snowpack in our mountains!

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Paula’s Pumpkin Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 pound sliced fresh mushrooms1 large sweet onion, chopped1/2 tsp of salt, divided2 tsp olive oil2 cups pumpkin puree1/2 cup half and half cream (use non-fat)1 tsp dried sage or

1 T fresh sage chopped extra fineDash of pepper9 cooked lasagna noodles2 cups reduced-fat ricotta cheese2 T chopped Italian parsley2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a medium skillet saute the mushrooms, onion and 1/4 tsp salt in oil until tender; set aside. In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin, cream, sage, pepper and remaining salt. In another small bowl combine the ricotta cheese and the Italian Parsley.

Spread 1/2 cup pumpkin sauce in an 11” x 7” baking dish to coat the dish. Top this with 3 cooked lasagna noodles. It’s okay if your noodles overlap slightly. Spread 1/2 cup of the pumpkin sauce over the noodles to the edge of the noodles. Top that with 1/2 the mushroom and onion mixture, then 1/2 the ricotta cheese mix, 1/2 the mozzarella and 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese. Repeat the layers again. Top with the final 3 noodles and the last of the sauce.

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 45 min-utes. Uncover; sprinkle with the last of the Parmesan cheese. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted. Let it sit for 10 minutes before cutting to serve.

You can also freeze this unbaked. Partially thaw it in the refrigerator overnight to use. Re-move it from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat it through and for a thermometer inserted in the center to read 165 degrees.

Serves 6 - 8

Enjoy!

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S an Joaquin County and state farm officials are scrambling following the discovery in Stockton of an exotic insect that threatens California’s $10.7

billion citrus industry.

A single Asian citrus psyllid, a small sap-feeding insect that can carry an incurable disease, was found in a trap Monday in the area of North Williamsburg Place and West Rosecrans Way in the unincorporated Lincoln Village area, Tim Pelican, county agricultural commis-sioner, announced Wednesday.

In response to the detection, an increased number of traps — about 100 per square mile versus the usual 5 per square mile — are being set in the surrounding area and backyard cit-rus trees within 100 meters of the find will be directly inspected, he said.

“The Asian citrus psyllid is a dangerous pest of citrus,” Pelican said. The insect is feared for its ability to carry Huanglongbing disease, or citrus greening, a bacte-rial infection that has devastated Florida’s citrus industry.

Similar discoveries of the psyllid in Lodi and Manteca in October 2014 led to the establishment of large quar-antine areas that remain in place, Pelican said.

Once the extent of the psyllid presence in Stockton is determined, treatments to eradicate the insect will be applied. “They’ll do a foliar spray and they’ll also do a soil drench,” Pelican said.

The spray will be aimed at any insects on treated plants and the drench applies material to the soil and that is taken up by plants to kill any pests that may later arrive and feed on them. Residents of all affected properties will be contacted in advance to discuss the treatment and their concerns, Pelican said.

Crews from the California Department of Food and Agriculture were putting out additional traps and con-

ducting inspections Tuesday and Wednesday, said Jay Van Rein, an agency spokesman.

Native to southern China, the citrus psyllid has since spread to parts of the Middle East, South and Cen-tral America, and the U.S. South. It was first found in California in 2008 in San Diego County and now infests much of Southern California. In recent years, it has been found in places up and down the San Joaquin Val-ley, including Kern, Tulare, Fresno, Madera and Stan-islaus counties.

Given the citrus psyllid’s widespread presence, it makes sense to have a statewide program aimed at containing the spread of the insect and Huanglongbing

disease, Van Rein said.

“We know from time to time, this type of insect, being so small and so transportable, will make a trip northward or elsewhere in the state,” he said. The aim is to prevent any widespread damage to the state’s citrus industry while researchers seek a cure or

vaccine for citrus greening or develop disease-resistant plants, Van Rein said.

“The longer we can keep both the insect and disease at bay, the longer the industry has to look for a real solution,” he said.

A bacterial infection, Huanglongbing has been found in a handful of citrus trees in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Once infected, a diseased tree will decline in health and produce bitter, misshapen fruit until it dies. The citrus is safe to eat and the disease is not harmful to human health.

Residents who think they have the insect in their yard are asked not to move it or any plant materials from their yards. Instead, call the state’s Pest Hotline at (800) 491-1899. For more information on pest and disease, go online to cdfa.ca.gov/plant/acp.

Dreaded Citrus Pest Found in StocktonPOSTED DECEMBER 23, 2015 ON CALIFORNIA STATE MASTER GARDENERS WEBPAGE, BY REED FUJII, STOCKTON RECORD STAFF WRITER


Master Gardeners Around the CountyJudy Matthew ’10

A look at the VMS shows many different ways MGs can work in their communities to extend research-based informa-tion to home gardeners and teach sustainable gardening and the use of drought resistant plants. Opportunities range from Plant Doctor Booths and our demonstration gardens to community health day events, school garden programs and new urban agriculture projects. Each of us can put our training to work and make important contributions to our communities. Check the VMS today, find a project that meets your interests — and volunteer. The MGs at work in these photos illustrate the wide range of opportunities for learning and helping others.

Need help with your roses? Jolene Adams, ACMG and past president of the American Rose Society, conducted a rose pruning workshop in the rose beds at the Piedmont Gardens.

A winter picture of the Garden of Grace shows row cloth protecting several beds planted in cover crops of various grains.

Garden of Grace in Livermore – this organic garden produces vegetables year round for the Open Heart kitchen and other local food pantries.

Volunteer workdays are Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 AM to noon, Fridays from 3 to 5 PM and every third Saturday from 9 AM to noon.

A mid January seed starting workshop brought in community volunteers to help MGs Brenda Kusler and Bruce Campbell plant a variety of seeds for the garden’s spring plantings.

Seeds were also started for several local school gardens sponsored by the Garden of Grace.



Can I Bee a Backyard Beekeeper? PART 8.Mark Brunell ’10

N ow that our hives are as-sembled and full of bees, and with some knowledge

of how bees grow and behave, we should discuss how to inspect a beehive.

The purpose of inspection is to check on the status and health of the colony, and to foresee future events. In my opinion, inspect once per week during the warm season, and per-haps once every two months during the cool season. Dur-ing the spring swarm season, inspecting twice per week is rea-sonable.

Before inspect-ing a hive, don protective gear and light your smoker. To light the smoker, you want a bed of coals at the bottom, with a mass of slowly smoldering fuel above it, producing a cool smoke. Pine needles are a great smoker fuel, and so are wood pellets (pel-let fuel).

Experiment with lighting your smoker and figure out what works for you. If you have them, get out

your frame grip and frame rest. Puff cool smoke into the entrance and under

the outer cover, and allow to sit undisturbed for about 30 seconds.

Remove the outer cover, and using your hive tool gently pry off the inner cover. If bees are cover-ing the top bars of the frames, gently smoke them to make them move down between the frames.

Always use a small amount of smoke at first, wait for a few sec-onds, and use more only if needed.Loosen the first frame with the hive tool; getting this frame out of the hive body is made easier by using a frame grip. Handle frames and bees slowly and gently, with steady, not jerky, movements.

To see down into the cells, stand with your back to the sun, with the sun shining down into the cells. The following description is for a functioning, healthy young hive.

The outermost frame generally lacks eggs and/or brood, but you might see nectar and/or honey in the cells.

Nectar looks like water and will splash out if the frame is shaken, whereas honey is darker and thicker, and eventually gets cov-

ered by a flat, white wax cap once its mois-ture content is about 17 percent.

You may also see cells packed with pollen, which looks powdery or like a damp solid, and is often yel-low or orange in color.

When you are done examin-ing both sides of the frame, place it in your frame rest or in a safe place and proceed to the next frame. Orient the frame in such a way that you can put

it back into the hive in its original orientation.

As you move toward the center of the hive, you will encounter capped brood, uncapped brood, and eggs. What about the queen? She is usually found on the hon-eycomb surface, near the cells containing eggs. If you see her, act calm and inspect the frame, then gently place it back in the hive.


Newsletter InfoContributionsPlease submit photos, articles and up-coming events for the next newsletter by March 10 to Judy Matthew ([email protected]).

EditorsJudy Matthew Carol Henrie

Graphics & LayoutCarol Henrie

Production

UCCE Master Gardener Program of Alameda County 1131 Harbor Bay Pkwy., Suite 131 Alameda CA 94502

ACMG Office: 510-639-1275 Plant Doctor Lines:

Alameda: 510-639-1371Livermore: 925-960-9420

County: 510-567-6812 FAX: 510-748-9644Website:

http://groups.ucanr.org/acmg

Rob Bennaton County Director, Alameda and Contra Costa County and Bay Area Urban Agriculture Advisor.The University of California prohibits discrimination against or harassment of any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, physical or mental disability, medical condition (cancer-related or genetic characteristics), ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or status as a covered veteran (special disabled veteran, Vietnam era veteran or any other veteran who served on active duty during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized).

University Policy is intended to be consistent with the provi-sions of applicable State and Federal laws.

Inquiries regarding the University’s nondiscrimination policies may be directed to the Affirmative Action/Staff Personnel Ser-vices Director, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, 1111 Franklin, 6th Floor, Oakland CA 94607-5200, 510-987-0096.

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(continued from Page 11) Backyard Bees

Regarding eggs and brood, what do we want to see? We want to see a nice pattern of egg laying, that is, one egg per cell, starting in the center of a frame and laying in a tight pattern, spiraling out-ward to form an oval egg cluster. She should lay in almost all of the cells in the cluster, with few skips.

Since the first eggs are laid in the center of the frame (and in the center of the hive body), the first larvae to develop will do so in the center. As larvae transition to pupae, capped cells will also appear first in the center. Going further, the first adult workers to emerge will be in the center. So after a period of time, the centermost cells will be empty, with a ring of capped brood around them, and then open brood around those, etc.

What else do we want to see? Most of the capped brood should be workers, that is, have caps that are slightly domed (convex), and light tan in color.

If the caps are greatly domed, like half of a piece of Kix cereal, you have drones developing. If the queen is laying lots of drones. it prob-ably means she did not mate well. That being said, drones should nat-urally develop as summer approaches; however, we don’t want them to predominate. If the queen is not well mated, there is no solution to this problem other than requeening the hive. We are also looking for queen cells, which have been described previously.

We also want to be looking for pests and diseases. For example, do we see Varroa mites on bees or on drone larvae? Do we see small hive beetles running around? Are wax moths causing damage? Is there chalkbrood? Pests and diseases are major topics in beekeeping, and cannot be covered in this article.

Hive inspection is a regular activity of the backyard beekeeper. If hives are not regularly inspected, they will probably die out. But if you are not interested in working your bees, you probably would not get them in the first place!

the alameda county ardeneruc master gardener program of alameda county february - march 2016 page 3...

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