Horror in the Garden

I’m a beekeeper who suffers when I lose one honey bee. Death follows them in many forms: pesticides(I don’t use any); birds, mites, drowning in a bird bath and a life span of about 30 days. I have to add one more killer: the Goldenrod Spider.

Last week I posted a bit about how the Goldenrod changes color from white to yellow to hide itself from prey. I remarked that the spider was easier to see when it was yellow. But then I saw one of my honey bees asleep in a nasturtium. Weird. I lifted it up with small knife only to find that a Goldenrod was attached to it; i.e., it paralyzes its victims before sucking out the fluids. The yellow spider is the same color as the inside of the nasturtium. Got it. I took care of the spider and hope not to see any again.

I understand that gardeners like the Goldenrod because it kills insects that feed on plants. In fact, my nasturtiums, a prime nectar source for bees, don’t have any bug issues this year. Still, I have to protect the honey bees from this yellow predator. Nature is a tough balancing act.