While most flowers have dust-like pollen, some have a sticky mass of pollen called a pollinium. Many of the orchids have these pollen masses in pairs, called pollinia. The pollinia are attached to stalks that have a sticky pad on the other end. When a foraging insect such as a bee comes into contact with […] Read more
This is one of the most confusing words for beginning beekeepers. It has been used incorrectly by so many beekeepers for so long that the meaning has actually changed. English is like that; once incorrect usage overwhelms correct usage, there is no turning back. Eventually, proper usage is determined by the majority . . . […] Read more
A skep is a traditional round hive made of straw or dried grass. Multiple strands of straw are bundled together to form a thick rope and the rope is then coiled and bound together to make the skep. The skep is generally empty so it provides protection for the bees but little else. There is […] Read more
Although honey bees are polylectic, which means they visit many different species of flowering plants, they also exhibit floral fidelity, which means that a bee visits only one kind of flower on any given foraging trip. If there are enough flowers of one type available, a honey bee will continue to visit that same kind […] Read more
Trophallaxis refers to the direct transfer of food or fluids from one individual to another. It is especially common among the social insects such as bees, wasps, ants, and termites. In many species, including bees, trophallaxis is an important part of colony communication. For example, workers who have licked the queen pass on some of […] Read more
Protandry is nature’s way of assuring males are sexually mature and ready to mate the moment females arrive on the scene. It tends to assure reproductive success. I first heard the word when I was studying Pacific salmon, but since then I’ve run across protandry in many species. In salmon, the males travel upstream first. […] Read more
The last sting-of-the-year is what I got yesterday. I look a little like Rudolph-the-reindeer except I took it on the chin. I also had the last sting-of-the-year a week ago–or so I thought–when I got stung on the little finger. But at this point, that one simply turned out to be the penultimate sting-of-the-year. Now, […] Read more