Category Archives: Strange, Odd Stuff

Shake, Rattle, Roll: Our Little Earthquake

Posted on July 13, 2017 by

I live in one of the less shaky parts of the world. I don’t think that Calgary has ever had a damaging earthquake. (Granted, the city isn’t much over a hundred years old, so it’s a short history.)  When the … Continue reading →

Posted in Friends, Honey, Queens, Science, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Please Don’t Burn the Bees

Posted on July 9, 2017 by

Since most people are radically pro-bee, it shocks me when I come across stories about people burning swarms to destroy them. Such arrogance. Such ignorance. Or maybe, pathetic panic is at work. There are always better options than firing your … Continue reading →

Posted in Save the Bees, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , | 4 Comments

The Bees at Times Square

Posted on June 28, 2017 by

New York City beekeeper Andrew Cote just captured a swarm high above Times Square. The bees were perched on a ledge and the beekeeper went to their rescue, boxing them up before they jumped to their death.  In coastal New … Continue reading →

Posted in Save the Bees, Strange, Odd Stuff, Swarms | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Keeping the Cougars out of your Bee Yard

Posted on June 24, 2017 by

Ever been chased by a mountain lion? How about a cougar, panther, or puma? Me neither, but I’ve probably passed within metres of all four. (I’m told that they’re all the same species – Puma concolor.) A new study from … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Yards, Beekeeping, Diseases and Pests, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

National Pollinator Week: Shrews and Mongooses, too.

Posted on June 21, 2017 by

National Pollinator Week is June 19 – June 25, but summer is an odd time of year to celebrate pollinators. The big honey bee migration to California’s almonds ended in March. Bees, birds, bats, and butterflies have finished their work … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Honey Plants, Humour, Pollination, Save the Bees, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The Serious Lawn

Posted on June 4, 2017 by

Do we take lawn care too seriously? Whether we are wasting water on Kentucky bluegrass in the great American southwest, or soaking tonnes of weedkiller and insecticide into pleasant little villages across the continent, much of our obsession is just … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Bee’s Eye View

Posted on May 27, 2017 by

Looking down from a light aircraft gives insights you just can’t match on the ground. At 6,000 feet, you appreciate how close flowers are along a beeline from hive to field. Beeing in the air is useful for a beekeeper … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Friends, History, People, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Fishing Bait That Eats Plastic

Posted on April 30, 2017 by

Hundreds of diseases and pests attack honey bees. One of the oldest known hive invaders is the wax moth. Aristotle had trouble keeping them out of his hives so maybe you do, too.  Wax moths come in two flavours – … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Beekeeping, Diseases and Pests, Science, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Burt’s Cabin Tour

Posted on April 26, 2017 by

Burt Shavitz, of Burt’s Bees, died two years ago. A photographer (for Life and Time) from Manhattan, he settled near Bangor, Maine, in the 1960s. There, he discovered beekeeping. Although Maine is one of the worst places in North America … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Hive Products, People, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Black ‘Pollen’ in March

Posted on March 19, 2017 by

A friend sent this great picture of a honey bee trucking home some very dark pollen today. Since flowers are not yet blooming here in Calgary, I’m pretty sure that the ‘pollen’ is coffee. Bees have been known to gather … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments