Category Archives: Save the Bees
May 20: World Bee Day
There’s a small country in Central Europe, a very beautiful alpine country, called Slovenia. Slovenia has only about two million people, but this tiny country is very big in beekeeping. Tucked between Italy and Austria, it has both mountains and … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, History, Outreach, Save the Bees
Tagged Anton Jansa, honey bees, Slovenia, World Bee Day
13 Comments
Meanwhile in Montréal
Here’s an interesting idea. Beekeepers rent massive numbers of colonies to almond, blueberry, cranberry, durian, eggplant, and so on farmers. Money is the attraction – neither the meager honey crop nor the diseases picked up on most of these pollination … Continue reading
Posted in Bee Yards, Outreach, Save the Bees
Tagged Montreal, Pollination, urban beekeeping
2 Comments
Herbicides, Bacteria Killers, and Honey Bees
Recently, I learned that herbicides such as Roundup and 2-4-D kill bacteria. Not only do they do a fine job of killing broadleaf pollen producers, they also kill some microbes. This information didn’t come from the tin-hat doom-sayer who lives … Continue reading
Posted in Ecology, Pesticides, Save the Bees
Tagged glyphosate, herbicides, Monsanto, Roundup
6 Comments
Bumblebee Honey For Sale?
My brother was at a farmer’s market in North Carolina this weekend. A vendor was selling a thimble-full of honey for $10. Maybe slightly more than a thimble. The seller told my brother that you wouldn’t smother a pancake with … Continue reading
Posted in Apitherapy, Bee Biology, Ecology, Friends, Honey, Save the Bees
Tagged bumblebees, Central America, honey, honey pots
11 Comments
Ecology 1,2,3
On Friday, I led an ecology program at the local elementary school. My 32 students ranged in age from 6 to 12. They were part of an experimental class where kids in their school could select their interest and indulge … Continue reading
Posted in Ecology, Outreach, Pollination, Save the Bees
Tagged Benny the Bee, Ecology, school outreach, teaching beekeeping, wax foundation
2 Comments
Buzz the Bee is on Vacation
General Mills is sending Buzz the Bee, their cheerful Honey Nut Cheerios spokesbug, on vacation. Or into hiding. In a campaign bound to raise awareness for the world’s suffering bees, and maybe to inadvertently sell more Cheerios, packages of the … Continue reading
Posted in Humour, Save the Bees, Strange, Odd Stuff
Tagged bee extinction, Benny the Bee, Buzz the Bee, Cheerios
4 Comments
Alberta is Beekeeping
Last night, the Calgary and District Beekeepers Association hosted its monthly general meeting. About 150 people showed up. To accommodate the growing membership and big turnout, our club’s president found an affordable and spacious new meeting hall near the Bow … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Friends, Outreach, Save the Bees
Tagged Alberta, Calgary, Calgary Bee Club, Medhat Nasr, statistics
4 Comments
Pollinator Friendly Gardening
Pollinator Friendly Gardening: Gardening for Bees, Butterflies, and Other Pollinators, by Rhonda Fleming Hayes, is a new book for the gardener who wants to help pollinators. With all the news about loss of habitat, warming climate, and pesticides, most wild … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Ecology, Honey Plants, Pollination, Save the Bees
Tagged gardening, pollinators
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Cuba’s Organic Honey
Long before the embargo and before the Castro brothers, Cuba was a beekeeper’s paradise North American gringos operating Cuban honey farms. Spain ruled Cuba for almost 400 years, but the United States took it as a trophy after the Spanish-American … Continue reading
Posted in Commercial Beekeeping, Ecology, History, Honey, Pesticides, Save the Bees
Tagged Cuba, organic honey, Pesticides
12 Comments
Putin Likes Organic Food
Russia’s Vladimir Putin has suggested that anyone who sells or grows genetically modified foods on his turf should face a few years farming in Siberia. He has proclaimed Russia will be GMO-free and he’d like to see his farmers raise … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, Genetics, History, Pesticides, Save the Bees, Strange, Odd Stuff
Tagged Charles Darwin, epigenetics, GMOs, Putin, Russia
2 Comments
Bad Beekeeping Blog 