Category Archives: Ecology
Bumble Bees and Free Will
Much is made of a human’s ability to make free choices. It’s an illusion, of course, but if people should be awarded this mysterious power, then why not bees? To bolster this notion of bees and free will, we’ll look … Continue reading
Posted in Bee Biology, Ecology, Science
Tagged bee foraging, bee scouts, Bombus terrestris, bumblebees, England
6 Comments
Should a “Bee City” Ban Honey Bees?
In February, Toronto became Canada’s first certified Bee City. This week, a bedroom community just outside Calgary became Canada’s second. I heard the news last night on a CBC radio interview of Dr. Preston Pouteaux, a hobby beekeeper who apparently … Continue reading
Posted in Ecology, Outreach, Save the Bees
Tagged Alberta, Bee City, Chestermere, Native Bees, pollinators, Ralph Cartar
8 Comments
Zombees in Canada
I wish I had good news. Canada’s first confirmed case of zombees has appeared – on Vancouver Island, out in the Pacific. Hundreds of kilometres from my home in Calgary. Zombie zombees, like the human kind, are undeads who are … Continue reading
Posted in Bee Biology, Diseases and Pests, Ecology, Strange, Odd Stuff
Tagged Apocephalus borealis, bee parasites, Vancouver Island, ZomBees
2 Comments
Bird-brained Hunting Partner
Scientists may have proven that African Honeyguide birds “communicate” with their human partners. You have probably already heard about this, as it’s been reported this week in Zaire’s Times, the New York Times, The New Yorker, and fine papers everywhere. … Continue reading
Posted in Ecology, Genetics, Hives and Combs
Tagged Africanized honey bees, Brazil, Carniolan honey bees, Central Europe, evolution, honeyguide
2 Comments
Dropping into Sunshine Valley
My hometown – Calgary, Alberta, Canada – is having a much needed wet spell. In fact, there has been some ghastly local flooding which I’ll cover in a future blog. Lucky for me, I am a few hundred kilometres farther … Continue reading
Posted in Bee Yards, Beekeeping, Ecology, Friends, Save the Bees
Tagged Arlo's Honey, British Columbia, Kelowna, marketing honey, Okanagan
5 Comments
Malathion and Pesky Bugs
There’s a pesticide causing grief among some hobby beekeepers. No, not the neonicotinoids again (though they’re not without blame). This is an “older” poison. If you are a new beekeeper, you might not have heard of malathion. Malathion is deadly … Continue reading
Posted in Ecology, Pesticides, Save the Bees
Tagged bees, malathion, mosquitoes, Winnipeg
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African Beekeeping May “Save the Trees”
Rather than “Save the Bees”, it’s “Save the Trees” in central Africa. A story from Zimbabwe reminds us that beekeeping can be very, very good for ecology. Bees (and beekeepers) are saving Zimbabwe’s forests. The country of Zimbabwe, lest we … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Ecology, Save the Bees
Tagged Africa, bees, trees, Zimbabwe beekeeping
3 Comments
Sweet Sweet Clover (part 2)
Yesterday, I couldn’t say enough good things about sweet clover. The magic honey plant is just starting to bloom here in southern Alberta. In a few weeks, it will yield so much nectar that bees will plug supers with fine … Continue reading
Posted in Ecology, Honey Plants, Save the Bees
Tagged Grasslands National Park, invasive species, Lise Perrault, Saskatchewan, sweet clover, Val Marie
7 Comments
Sweet Sweet Clover (part 1)
Every June there is a wash of yellow along the edge of almost every highway and trail in North America. The yellow is from sweet clover that grows and blooms all across the continent. It’s wild and it has been … Continue reading
Almonds Doing Selfies
Almond pollination season is over. The billions of bees working in California have moved on. They are now mostly scattered across the American plains. It’s not easy to be a bee in the almond groves during February and March. Colony … Continue reading
Bad Beekeeping Blog 