February

Environmental Projects

Requirements

An empty tin, such as for fruit or pet food Some lengths of bamboo cane or drinking straws A craft knife Elastic bands A hacksaw, if you are using bamboo

Using an Empty Tin to make A Home for Solitary Bees

This project is supported by the Department of the Environment Environmental Partnership Fund.

Many people think of bees as social insects. There are, however, many species that live solitary lives. The mason bee (osmia rufa) is one of these. It is easy to help this creature to build its nest so that its activities can be observed.

Assembling the Home

Remove the labels from the tin and wash with warm soapy water. Clean it thoroughly. Cut lengths of bamboo, a couple of centimetres shorter than the tin. Remove the pith from the bamboo with a knitting needle, or splice them in halves with a craft knife. If the second method is used, remove the pith and join the pieces together again using the elastic bands. Pack the lengths tightly into the tin. Drinking straws can be used instead of lengths of bamboo. Hang the tin, sloping downwards, from a tree in the garden in February.

Alternatively...

An alternative to the above is to use elder twigs. These should be about finger thickness. Remove the pith in the same manner as the pith from the bamboo. Leave one end intact. Hang them in bundles of eight from trees or shrubs.

Method of Occupation

Soon a solitary bee will lay eggs in one of the canes. Each egg will occupy a chamber of its own. This will be sealed with mud. A supply of pollen and nectar will be left in each chamber for the grub which emerges. The grub will spend the winter as a cocoon and emerge the following spring.

Text:Paddy Madden Illustrations:Eileen Fleming Editor:Marian Rollins Design:Taran Pyper © 2013

February

Environmental Projects

Requirements

A large clear plastic storage container. This can be purchased in a hardware shop Water plants such as Canadian pond weed, duckweed, water starwort, water milfoil and arrowhead Horticultural sand and some gravel Pond creatures such as, water snails, whirligig beetles, leeches, water lice, water fleas, water spiders, pond skaters, water boatmen, tadpoles. Pond mud Some smooth river stones Plastic tubing

Using a Plastic Container to make A Water Ecology Tank

This project is supported by the Department of the Environment Environmental Partnership Fund.

A water ecology tank can be an endless source of interest for observers. It is an ideal apparatus for studying water creatures, food chains and for understanding the roles of carnivores, herbivores and detritivores or scavengers.

Setting up the Ecology Tank

Wash the sand and gravel thoroughly, before putting them into the tank. Place about 3 cm of gravel in the bottom with about 2 cm of sand on top. Use rainwater to fill the tank to within 8 cm of the top. (Pour it onto a piece of stiff cardboard to avoid disturbing the sand). If rainwater is unavailable use tap water that has been left standing for a week. Add half a standard jar of mud from an existing pond. This will contain the eggs of water creatures and will also provide nutrients for plants. Make sure the tank contains water snails. Snails keep the sides free of algae and water lice scavenge the bottom. Freshwater shrimp will do this as well. Add a very small quantity of Canadian pond weed, an arrowhead and some duckweed. Place the stones around the roots of the arrowhead to keep it stable. Alternatively it could be planted in a small pot.

After Care

Fork out the contents into a 1 cm mesh sieve and shake them over the barrow. Coarse undigested material will be left in the middle of the sieve. Put this into a plastic sack. It will form the basis of a new wormery. Leave about 5 cm of material in the bin. This will contain eggs. Empty the coarse material from the sack into the wormery.

References

Place the tank in good light but not in direct sunshine. Water beetles, dragonfly larvae and water boatmen are carnivores. These should be removed after a short while, especially if tadpoles are being reared in the tank. Dead plants and animals should be removed. If the tank water gets dirty some of it can be siphoned off with the plastic tubing and fresh water added. N.B. You may need to use a perforated lid, if you have tadpoles in the tank.

Perforated Lid

References Bugs (Magazine Series).Orbis Publishing, London, 1994 Elsie Proctor: Looking at Nature. . A. and C. Black 1969 Andrew Mitchell: The Young Naturalist Usborne Publishing Ltd., London, 1989 Romola Showell: Learning About Insects And Small Animals Ladybird Books Ltd., Loughborough 1972

Text:Paddy Madden Illustrations:Eileen Fleming Editor:Marian Rollins Web Page Design:Taran Pyper 2013