Category Archives: Science

Making honey talk

Posted on December 21, 2019 by

A biochemistry student at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, has been analyzing proteins in honey. Since proteins (for example, pollen grains, shown above) make up only about 0.1-0.5% (one to five parts per thousand) of the volume of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Diseases and Pests, Honey, Science, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged , | 7 Comments

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

Apimondia 2019: Wednesday (And a scandal)

Posted on September 14, 2019 by

Wednesday at Apimondia was a more relaxed day for me. I ran into several more friends, looked around the city of Montreal, sat at several talks, viewed more posters, tasted more honey in the exhibition hall, and shared an afternoon … Continue reading →

Posted in Honey, Science, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Apimondia 2019: Tuesday (Posters)

Posted on September 14, 2019 by

This blog post is out of sync (“Tuesday” is being posted on Saturday), but as a good friend once told me, “It’s always Tuesday somewhere.” Truth is, it gets hard to post on a blog while on a conference. I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Friends, Science | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Apimondia 2019 starts next week!

Posted on September 4, 2019 by

Apimondia is the bi-annual international bee festival. Two years ago, it was hosted by Turkey; two years from now, it will be in Russia. This year? Montreal, Quebec, Canada. There are a lot of reasons to visit Montreal. The Notre-Dame … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Tagged , | 6 Comments

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

Bees in Space

Posted on July 21, 2019 by

Fifty years ago, I was a kid, glued to the TV, fascinated by man’s first frolic on the moon. Grainy black and white images from the moon filled our grainy black and white television. It was a signal from the … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Queens, Science, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

At least one of these bees is a laying worker

Posted on June 3, 2019 by

At least one of the bees in the picture above is a laying worker. Can you spot her?  I can’t. But if you read this post to the end, you will have the answer – and a really nice bonus, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Beekeeping, Diseases and Pests, Queens, Science | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Bees learn to drive tiny cars

Posted on April 10, 2019 by

I wouldn’t believe this if I had seen it with my own eyes! Sam Droege, bee scientist extraordinaire, has a USGS Flickr website populated with great bee photographs. Last week, somewhere around April first, Sam posted the results of some … Continue reading →

Posted in Humour, Native Bees, Science, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , | 4 Comments