Category Archives: Ecology
International Workers’ Day
My home city of Calgary celebrated May Day (International Workers’ Day) by welcoming 1,176,334 foreign workers into our community last night, doubling our population. 196 packages of worker bees had arrived. A swarm of Calgary beekeepers greeted the immigrants. (The … Continue reading
Supporting “Painting the Bees”
It’s pretty hard to pry money out of my pockets. Unless you’ve got something really great going on that can use a little support. The Good of the Hive is one of the worthy ones. It aims to bring awareness … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, Outreach, Save the Bees
Tagged bee art, crowd-funding, Matthew Willey, The Good of the Hive
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Wildflowers and Bees
My friend Liz Goldie was in the news again. This time it was a good thing. She had dropped by a local greenhouse to set up delivery for July for some bee-friendly wildflower seeds to distribute at Calgary’s Stampede. Before … Continue reading
Posted in Ecology, Friends, Honey Plants, Outreach, Save the Bees
Tagged Calgary, planting for bees
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Bee Virus with a Cute Name
It will never end. But at least this one has a cute name: The Moku virus. Science Daily had a piece, A New Threat to Bees Worldwide, which gives us yet another bee story that may go viral. The Moku … Continue reading
Ending the Senseless Roadside Carnage (of bugs)
Bugs impact windshields from time to time. You’ve scraped off the gooey result. A lovely dégustation if there’s ever been one. Placing a bee yard near a busy road makes you an accessory to the beeslaughter of millions. You are … Continue reading
Posted in Bee Yards, Ecology, Humour, Science, Strange, Odd Stuff
Tagged Ontario, roadkill, Vietnam
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A Two-minute Pollinator Break
Jonathan sent a link to this little video. It was filmed in northeastern France (in Marne) this summer. He says it took Mukibrain about a month to film, edit, and compose the accompanying music. In this lovely little piece called … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, Pollination
Tagged France, Mukibrain, pollinators, video
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Why Vegans are Wrong
I have a vegan acquaintance. He is a mild, considerate, and generally pleasant young man. He thinks that beekeeping is cruel and inhumane. He tells me that honey-eating encourages theft and the abuse, imprisonment and exploitation of insects. “Tell me … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, History, Honey, Strange, Odd Stuff
Tagged Donald Watson, health, honey and environment, sugar, vegans
104 Comments
Why do bumblebees follow ferries?
Originally posted on Prof. Jeff Ollerton – ecological scientist and author:
A few years ago I mentioned in my post “Garlicky archipelago” that I had seen bumblebees (Bombus spp.) following the ferry from Southampton to the Isle of Wight, a…
Posted in Ecology, Reblogs, Strange, Odd Stuff
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Remembering: Charles Valentine Riley
Charles Valentine Riley (1843-1895) September 18 is the birthdate of British-American entomologist Charles Valentine Riley. Riley pioneered the scientific study of insect pests and their impact on agriculture. He founded the US Department of Agriculture’s Division of Entomology and was … Continue reading
Posted in Diseases and Pests, Ecology, History, People
Tagged Charles Darwin, Charles Riley, economical entomology, insect pests, Smithsonian
2 Comments
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 Iowa, milkweed, monarch butterfly
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Bad Beekeeping Blog 