Category Archives: Strange, Odd Stuff

How Well Do You Know Your Bees?

Posted on September 11, 2017 by

How well do you know your bees?  Most of us have neighbours who think that every wasp, bat, and unicorn that appears in their backyard is one of our pesky honey bees. I guess it’s understandable that people of small … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Save the Bees, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , | 3 Comments

World’s Weirdest Beekeeping Family

Posted on September 2, 2017 by

You’ve probably known some weird beekeeping families – maybe you’re lucky enough to live in one. But someone out there is a member of the world’s creepiest beekeeping family. If you want to know more about the worst of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Killer Bees, Movies, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Cats and Dogs, Living Together

Posted on August 21, 2017 by

There’s a scene in Ghost Busters where Bill Murray describes the doom awaiting the world when the captured ghosts are released: “…human sacrifice, cats and dogs living together…” It’s hard to image any fate worse for civilization, eh? Such fear … Continue reading →

Posted in Humour, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged | 6 Comments

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 , , | 4 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