The Vanishing of the Bees

I just learned about this powerful bit o work: The Vanishing of the Bees
The trailer includes footage from a Malaysian honey hunt described in Stephen Buchmann’s Letters from the Hive as well as interviews with beekeepers from all over the country.
To be honest, the trailer is so compelling that my sappy little Mama cortex is [...]

Will my bees (and I) hallucinate on datura?

My jimsonweed is 1 day away from blooming. What will this mean for my bees?
According to some sources:
Bee nectar collection from Datura plants in Mexico and Hungary, belladonna flowers, henbane (Hyoscamus niger) plants from Hungary, Serjania lethalis from Brazil and Gelsemium sempervirens from the American Southwest can all result in toxic honey.
Should I dig up [...]

44% of all U.S. bees died last winter

44% of all the U.S. bees died last winter. Again, doing the math, that comes to 1.1 million colonies, just shy of what’s needed for almond pollination next spring. Hmmmm….
from ‘Colony Collapse Disorder: What We’ve Learned’
In the article above, Kim Flottum, editor of Bee Culture magazine, seems to conclude Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) has [...]

death comes to the beekeeper

One of the most generous beeks in our local community examined his hives this weekend and found tragedy.
2 entirely dead hives
It’s the sort of thing that drops your heart right through your feet, crashing like a pebble on the dirt below.
Immediately the examination of conscience begins like Sister Rose Angela in the 3rd grade quizzing [...]