Category Archives: Ecology

Apimondia 2019: Thursday (some presentations)

Posted on September 16, 2019 by

On Thursday at the Montreal Apimondia, I gave a presentation about the average distance bees fly while foraging. The full title was Foraging distances of commercially-deployed bees: a meta-analysis.  When I find some time, I’ll do a voice-over and create … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Ecology, Native Bees, Pollination, Science | Tagged , | Leave a comment

You thought bees were vegetarians?

Posted on August 25, 2019 by

Well, looks like another sacred truth has been shattered. Bees eat beefy little microbes as part of their regular diet. Never again will I stand in front of a class of new beekeepers and implore them to marvel at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Diseases and Pests, Ecology, Pesticides, Save the Bees, Science | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Feel like a MOOC?

Posted on August 24, 2019 by

You can never know too much about bugs.  That’s why I signed up for Bugs 101, offered by a rival school, the University of Alberta. (That’s up in Edmonton – I’m in Calgary, at a different, and arguably warmer, closer,  … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Beekeeping, Ecology, Outreach | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Coconut Monkeys

Posted on July 30, 2019 by

Some years ago, I had a job that I didn’t like. The money was good, but the work was bad. I was stuck in “Coconut Monkey” syndrome. Farmers in south India are sometimes plagued by monkeys stealing their crops. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged | 4 Comments

Goodbye, Susan

Posted on June 26, 2019 by

A friend whom I never met has passed away. Her memorial service was on the weekend. Susan Rudnicki was a regular reader and commented here frequently. If you’ve been following this blog over the past year or two, you have … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Ecology, Friends | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Pollinator Week 2019

Posted on June 17, 2019 by

In the past three or four years, I began to notice that honey bees aren’t the only bees in the world. What a surprise! There are over 20,000 other versions. Some as big as elephants, some as small as pin … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, Outreach, Pollination | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

World Bee Day 2019

Posted on May 20, 2019 by

World Bee Day, May 20 of each year,  is not just about honey bees. Although the idea arose in Slovenia, a little country that’s really big on honey-bee keeping, it’s also a celebration of all the world’s bees. About 20,000 … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, History, Native Bees, Outreach, Save the Bees | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Beekeeping goes Global

Posted on April 4, 2019 by

Global TV interviewed me at noon today. Our chat went OK. I covered most of what I wanted to talk about in the five minutes allotted. I’d like to give a special thanks to Liz Goldie, who helped immeasurably with … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Outreach, Save the Bees | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Bees on Ice

Posted on October 14, 2018 by

So much has happened in the weeks since my last post: I started an MSc (in bee ecology); my son and I pulled our honey crop;  I presented a talk at the first-ever United Beekeepers of Alberta conference; I began … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Ecology, Travels | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments

Smoky Bees

Posted on August 16, 2018 by

Originally posted on Bad Beekeeping Blog:
Calgary – a smoker’s haven. My home town – Calgary – is under a smoke advisory. The sky is hazy with smelly gray smoke from the trees, grass, and homes that are on fire…

Posted in Beekeeping, Ecology, Honey, Reblogs, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments