What happens to an organism that fails to reproduce? Let’s think about that. If all rabbits stopped, um, amorous behavior, we would have no more rabbits, not even in Australia. If all cows failed to reproduce, the grocery shelves would be empty of moo juice, as they seem to be now. And what about honey […] Read more
My friend Ellen Gehling here in Washington has an excess of dahlia tubers and seeds she has grown in her garden. What a problem to have! She raises dahlias specifically for bees, so they are the open-centered type that allows bees to reach the pollen. All the dahlias I have raised during the past few […] Read more
You’ve seen posters and read bumper stickers. You’ve watched news videos and opened colorful solicitations for money. Cries of “Save the bees!” and “Protect our pollinators!” are ubiquitous, having replaced pleas for pandas, whales, and spotted owls. But wait. How can you save a bee? The truth is, you can’t. Not really. If you catch […] Read more
It’s a strange new world out there, that’s for sure. I am writing today to thank all of you who have written in the past few weeks asking how we are and wishing us well. The truth is we are both fine, at least so far. Since I tend to be the more careful one, […] Read more
Not long ago I received a mysterious-looking package in the mail, a small white box with lots of postage. Inside I found a plastic vial wrapped in sheets of newsprint from The Wichita Eagle. The vial was dressed in a yellow sticky note that read, “I found this honey bee on the porch of my […] Read more
Beekeepers sometimes report unusual behaviors in their bees, everything from fore-and-aft convulsions to unmitigated quaking anger. I’ve collected three of these observations below, each from a new beekeeper: “Today a bee on the landing board was trying to vomit. Her whole body was wracked with convulsions that moved in waves. When I opened the hive, […] Read more
As the vernal equinox approaches, I like to remind beekeepers that spring can be tricky. If you’re not paying attention, it’s easy to lose a colony to starvation. In spring, several different things happen all at once to overwintered colonies. Most experienced beekeepers know what to look for, but it can be a little overwhelming […] Read more