Category Archives: Culture, or lack thereof

An indoor hive

I can’t even begin to imagine the clever wit that went into designing this revolutionary beehive. What you see to your right – if you are looking at the hive-gadget rather than the demonstrator – is a new hive design … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Hives and Combs, Strange, Odd Stuff, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged | 3 Comments

Alberta deadline

Sorry I was late posting this. Hope you are not in big trouble now. But Albertans who keep honey bees or who own beekeeping equipment are required – by law – to register as a beekeeper by June 29 of … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Diseases and Pests, Pesticides, Save the Bees | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Glow-in-the-dark bees

Finally! Glow-in-the-dark honey bees! We’ve all been waiting for these glow bugs to complement our glow-in-the-dark radium-painted wristwatches and glow-in-the-dark jelly bean collections. Now you can have the complete set of things you probably didn’t know existed. Researchers at Germany’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Culture, or lack thereof, Humour, Queens, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Going native

A Calgary University professor has this to say about urban beekeepers: “It is not as rosy as they think. Every jewel* of honey that they get on their plate or in their jars is a jewel that has been robbed … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Running for Betty

This weekend is Calgary’s ALS benefit. Calgary-area readers of this blog are invited (urged!) to head over to North Glenmore Park and “Run for Betty.” 20 years ago, Betty died from ALS, aka Lou Gehrig’s Disease. She was an avid … Continue reading →

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

Did I goof up, or what?

Last week’s blog post drew a few interesting responses. Not from Monsanto, whom I expected would be outraged because I wrote that it is perhaps justifiable to vilify “the huge multinational for all manner of environmental ills.” Instead, incredibly, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, Pesticides, Save the Bees | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The bees’ funeral

Dead bees are back on the evening news. Last night our national news broadcaster, the CBC, had relatively extensive coverage of a honey bee funeral in Toronto. These Canadian heroes, encountering death in the line of duty, were celebrated with … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Pesticides, Save the Bees, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Empty Beekeeper

At first it felt a bit creepy when my wife texted this picture of an empty beekeeper holding my book. Then I was flattered. My wife was attending the Calgary Science Fair where our son’s entry (a behavioural-science study) was … Continue reading →

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

The Royal Bee?

English royalty dropped by for tea in New Zealand. You know how hard it is to find that special gift for out-of-town visitors? Well, try entertaining a prince and his family. The Royals probably have everything they need. Probably. So … Continue reading →

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World Apitherapy Day

March 30 is World Apitherapy Day. It is celebrated on this day because it’s the birthdate of one of the most important early promoters of happy bee stings – a chap named Filip Terč, whom you see glaring at you … Continue reading →

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