A single specimen of Wallace’s giant bee, Megachile pluto, has been discovered in the North Maluku Islands of Indonesia. Found by natural history photographer Clay Bolt and a team of scientists, the bee was photographed and videoed before being released back into its home environment. This species is a member of the common Megachile genus, […] Read more
Feeling discouraged about the bee thing? You are not alone. Haunted by losses, Bill Castro, a thirty-year beekeeper from Maryland, shared the details of his disastrous 2016 bee season. The numbers are scary. Abysmal losses Update on the rusty-patched bumble bee In related news, due to policy changes in Washington DC, the inclusion of the […] Read more
Since the United States Fish and Wildlife Service placed seven species of bees on the endangered species list, I have been inundated with mail from jubilant citizens. Many of the letters say something like, “It’s about time honey bees are protected.” Or “The government finally realized how important honey bees really are!” Oh dear. If […] Read more
Every now and then I decide to bury my head in the sand and pretend I don’t notice the headlines. Invariably, this approach doesn’t work because dozens of people will ask my opinion until I’m more or less coerced into saying something. Then, the something I say is dissected, splintered, and ridiculed until, once again, […] Read more
Although I usually don’t run press releases, this cute story from our bee-loving friends across the pond is right in line with the mission of Honey Bee Suite. If I ever get reincarnated as a bee, I’ll be sure to make a reservation. British bees migrate to cities as rural habitats decline A new poll4 […] Read more
It was quite a week in the bee world, and it’s getting harder and harder to keep up. Here are links to a few stories that caught my attention. And a finally a reminder of the pollinator challenge: Adopt a pollinator this year and learn everything you can about her. If you get a good […] Read more
After yesterday’s post on red honey, I was delighted to receive these photos from Utah beekeeper Reed Beatse. Reed’s top-bar hive was home to a colony that found and collected some of the candy cane feed. The red “honey” is clearly visible and makes quite a contrast with the nectar his bees collected earlier. Thanks, […] Read more