Category Archives: Culture, or lack thereof

Noxious Milkweed?

The Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette had a story yesterday about a fellow in Monticello who ran afoul of the law for something he’s growing in his back yard. His crime? Cultivating (Milk)weed. Bee and butterfly enthusiasts know milkweed. So do … Continue reading

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, Honey Plants, Humour, Save the Bees | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

It Depends

Last night we had another meeting of our local bee club, the Calgary and District Beekeepers. These are becoming legendary events with over 150 bee people, sipping coffee and doing bee-talk.  Although it’s great fun mixing with so many nice … Continue reading

Posted in Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Friends, Outreach | Tagged | 10 Comments

The Man Who Made Killer Bees

Today (September 9) is the 94th birthday of Warwick Estevam Kerr, the man who made the Killer Bees. Just like his bees, Kerr comes from hot, tropical Brazil. And just like his bees, Dr Kerr has been much maligned and … Continue reading

Posted in Bee Biology, Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Genetics, People, Science | Tagged , , , , , | 24 Comments

Does the FDA Think Honey has ‘Added Sugar’?

I just got off the phone. I was chatting with a buddy who lives in the USA. (I am in western Canada.) He tells me that the FDA is completely revising US label laws. In the near future, Calories will … Continue reading

Posted in Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Honey | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Climb Every Mountain; Raise Every Dollar

It seems that Saving the Bees has turned into quite a nice little cottage industry. Although honey bees are more numerous today than any time in history, some people seem intent on telling other people that the honey bees are … Continue reading

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Outreach, Save the Bees | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Beekeep or Bee-keep?

The best beekeepers are not the best grammarians, but that’s OK. There might be an inverse relationship between bee skill and word skill. So we overlook ads that say “Bees’ For Sale” or an e-mail suggesting that  “you should of … Continue reading

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

It Doesn’t Take an Einstein

You’ve seen the memes. Albert Einstein is pictured with a caption that says “if honey bees disappear from earth, humans would be dead within 4 years!”  I got tired of seeing this repeated and decided to dig deeper than  the … Continue reading

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, People, Save the Bees | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

EpiPens: $250 in USA; $85 in Canada

Here’s something sure to stir controversy. The price of the life-saving EpiPen went from $50 US (in 2008) to somewhere between $250 and $400 US this month. That’s if you live in the USA. This morning, I was at the … Continue reading

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Stings | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Improves its Image

It’s about time. Tisdale, Saskatchewan has finally reformed its town sign and slogan. No longer will it be the Land of Rape & Honey. I thought that they’d go with the Land of Canola & Honey. But Opportunity knocked. The … Continue reading

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Good News: No Killer Bees at the Olympics

Whatever happened to the Killer Bees? Killer Bees – more accurately, hybrids of European and African honey bees – were supposed to destroy the world, or at least kill a lot of people trying. They started out in Brazil, not … Continue reading

Posted in Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Diseases and Pests, History, Humour, Killer Bees, Movies, Stings, Swarms | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment