OBVIOUSLY we have a coop intruder in Seward Park. He's climbin in yo' hen house, snatchin' yo' chickies up, tryin' to shake n bake em... so yall need to hide ya hens, hide ya eggs, and hide ya bird house cause they're pluckin' e'ry clucker out here.

(BTW, I just started reading Alice Walker's The Chicken Chronicles at lunch today--only on p33 but already highly recommend it; super easy to read and you'll certainly be able to relate and appreciate now that you're a "mama"bird too!)

My area is more companion parrots but after answering a question recently on sudden death in a young chicken I found my way to your unanswered question from long ago.

I suppose you've found out what you wanted to know by now but I thought I would post what I have learned.

Hairy Vetch which is used as an agricultural ground cover and forage has been shown to be toxic to cattle, horses and chickens (as it states in the literature). There are nitro-glycosides in the leaves and stems and a cyanogenetic glycoside is present in vetch seed. It appears the actual problem for large animals depends on how high the percentage of hairy vetch in the overall feed consumed. Still the described responses to toxic levels of ingestion of this plant certainly are to be respected.

Recommendations, as far as chickens go are if the plant is present to cut it back before flowering is completed so the seeds don't develop. I like your idea of thoroughly eliminating it in the immediate area to be sure of no ingestion by your birds. Once the area is free I would think it would be OK to let your chickens use the space as long as it had not just gone through flowering and seed development so that the ground is laden with available seed to be consumed. Keep your eye pealed for any return growth and just eliminate it as it pops up.

By the way, the reported symptoms of toxicity in chickens are labored breathing, convulsions, in-coordination, and weight loss.

This might be obvious, but did you question all the other chickens individually to see if their stories matched up? Did the chicken have any known enemies? Could it have been an inside job? I'd start there. Also before contacting the police consider that the murderer might have contacts within the department. Do you own a weapon yourself? I don't want to alarm you, but you may also be in danger.

Rather than summarizing here, check out the links to Washington State University and Extension publications for excellent information regarding Orchard Mason Bees:

1. Orchard Mason Bees. A great summary of Orchard Mason Bees. http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/inse006/inse006.htm

2. Orchard Bees Fact Sheet: Includes how to use Orchard Mason bees as pollinators and ‘housing’ bees. http://king.wsu.edu/foodandfarms/documents/MasonBee.pdf

3. Beekeeping Resources: This fact sheet includes a list of Associations, publications, plants that attract bees, and supplies.http://king.wsu.edu/foodandfarms/documents/bee.pdf

 I hope this is useful. Happy Gardening!

I put up a Mason bee block near our plum tree a few years ago and a few bees colonized it without me really trying. I've since expanded to a second block (not that the first got filled up, but I figured, why not).

Obviously if you want to attract bees it helps to have flowers; plum/cherry/apple trees are good because they bloom in the spring and Mason bees are pretty much done by the time the hot weather rolls around. In fact, the advice I heard says to take your bee block inside once hot weather shows up, as the developing larvae can otherwise be attacked by parasites. Store them in a cool place indoors and hang the blocks back up when the dandelions start blooming again (usually in February or March).

Also, other insects might use your mason bee blocks, but since these are also solitary insects (a couple of types of wasps), you don't need to worry about them waking up in the winter and stinging you. I know I've had a few wasp larvae over the year, and have had no problems.

You could attend the Puget Sound Beekeepers' Association Apiary Field Day this coming Saturday, May 14th, at the Arboretum:

http://pugetsoundbees.org/resources/beginning-beekeeping/

They're really focused on honeybees but I'm sure you could learn methods and meet people who could get you up to speed on solitary bees like the mason bee.