Green Bees

Apr 20, 2009 by

Green Bees

You must read this lovely article, "In the Key of Bee," by Erik Vance, featured in the online mag Bay Nature. In it, Vance writes about Gordon Frankie, a bee professor at UC Berkeley who specializes in native bees. I have to admit I'm a bit smitten with native bees myself lately, and am quite inspired by his work. Anyway, the article talks about several native bee varieties, such as the leaf cutting bee, who lines his hive with small, precision-cut leaf slices, and can be seen bobbing through the air with small bits of leaves. The article also talks about the work one man is doing to help preserve native bee populations, an admirable feat in and of itself. Click here for a link to the article, and for more great pics. Photo...

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I saw the White House Bees!

Apr 20, 2009 by

I saw the White House Bees!

I went on a weekend trip to Washington D.C., to visit a friend of mine. Anyway, one of the highlights of my weekend (besides the gorgeous weather) was walking past the White House and getting a glimpse of the White House Bees! I was so excited and inspired. I don't have a heck of a lot to say about it, except that it's so exciting that the Obamas are setting a precedent for organic farming and the importance of bees in our communities and urban landscapes. This picture was taken from the City Bees Blog. Click here to see more pictures of the White House...

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Help Protect Honey Bees from a Toxic Pesticide...

Mar 7, 2009 by

Help Protect Honey Bees from a Toxic Pesticide

Hey all! Sorry I've been a little lax in blogging. I've been teaching more than full-time, and working to finish my novel. Anyway, here's a great opportunity to help save the bees. One of the more nefarious pesticides for honey bees is one called imidacloprid (IMD), a toxin created by Bayer Corp. What IMD reportedly does is make the bees drunk, essentially, and inhibit their navigational systems so they can't find their way home. This letter encourages the EPA to reexamine the research on IMD, and make sure to ban its use when it has proven harmful to honey bees. Please click here and send a letter to the Office of Pesticides Programs at the EPA and spread the word! Thanks! Here's the...

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More love for Haagen Dazs

Dec 14, 2008 by

More love for Haagen Dazs

Let's give it up a bit more for Haagen Dazs. They have this cool website where you can make your own bee that looks like you. (Yes, that's what I look like. Seriously.) Anyway, you can email a bee image to a friend and then it takes you to their website where you can get education on the bee decline and the role bees play in our ecosystem. It's fun. It's free. It's educational. Now go eat some...

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Keeping it Light

Nov 29, 2008 by

Keeping it Light

I love this comic by Lela Dowling about CCD that I found on The Daily Green's bee blog. It's wonderful! Click on this link here to see it in all its...

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Dream Photoshoot

Nov 2, 2008 by

Dream Photoshoot

So yesterday I did a photo shoot for a magazine article I wrote about bees. (This was my second professional photo shoot of the year, both about bees. Crazy!) The photographer wanted to take pictures of me with bees, but my colony didn't survive this year, so I wanted to find a better setting. After a bit of research and some calls, we located a place in Boulder where Backyard Bees, owned by Laura Tyler and her husband, have a small apiary. Laura made an incredible documentary titled Sister Bee, and I saw her speak at a showing of the film earlier this year. It was wonderful to meet her in person and talk about bees and getting their story out into the media. Anyway, the setting was just gorgeous. The late-afternoon light was...

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