Category Archives: Ecology

Bees and the Australian Fires

Posted on January 5, 2020 by

Australia is on fire. When I heard about the thousands of people who were fleeing – some being rescued from beaches by the navy – and then saw photos of black smoke, red skies, and stampeding kangaroos, I worried about … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Yards, Climate, Commercial Beekeeping, Ecology | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Seeing 20-20

Posted on January 1, 2020 by

What will the new year (and decade) bring?  Although “20-20” denotes perfect vision, I doubt we’ll be so lucky. I suspect that we’ll continue with our near-sighted attitudes toward . . . everything. We can’t help it. We’re hardwired that … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, Outreach, Personal | Tagged | 1 Comment

Interview at CJSW with Ian Perry

Posted on December 19, 2019 by

A couple of months ago, I was invited to chat about my research with Ian Perry, who runs a radio/podcast interview program (Keeping Green) at the University of Calgary’s CJSW. Ian is interviewing people who are studying ecology in western … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Ecology, Native Bees, Personal, Science | Tagged , | 6 Comments

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 , | 1 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 , , | 3 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 , , | 3 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 , , | 8 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