Category Archives: Science
Making honey talk
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 honey biochemistry, pollen in honey
8 Comments
Interview at CJSW with Ian Perry
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 CJSW, urban beekeeping
6 Comments
Apimondia 2019: Thursday (some presentations)
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 Apimondia, bee foraging
1 Comment
Apimondia 2019: Wednesday (And a scandal)
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 adulteration, Apimondia, honey judging
8 Comments
Apimondia 2019: Tuesday (Posters)
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
Apimondia 2019 starts next week!
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
You thought bees were vegetarians?
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 bee nutrition, microbes, pollen
3 Comments
Bees in Space
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
Bees learn to drive tiny cars
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 bee photography, bumblebees, Sam Droege
6 Comments
Bad Beekeeping Blog 