1,000 Reasons to Love Bees

 When I used to walk with my friend Mary, she sometimes stopped, closed her eyes, and said, “Listen.” What? I didn’t hear anything, not at first. But a moment later, the hum of bees would reach my ear. Mary resisted hurrying on. Instead, we stood listening, on a town sidewalk or on a hiking trail,……

Photo by Art Rachen/Unsplashed When I hear a hard-to-believe story or theory, I check with Snopes to see if it is real.  And when someone tells me about a miracle cure, I search for lab studies that back up the claim.     But when it comes to honey, I love hearing the opinions and experiences……

I converted part of my lawn to native, pollinator friendly plants so my bees don’t have to go searching for flowers, or forage where plants have been sprayed with harmful chemicals. But some folks are replacing lawns and restoring native plants for a selfless reason—to create miniature sanctuaries where native plants, insects, birds, and small……

A six-person panel of international judges gave first place in the World’s Ugliest Lawn Contest to Kathleen Murray of Tasmania. The competition started in Sweden as a way to reward water conservation. Lawns require a lot of water. Murray’s dusty yard, pocked with holes dug by animals, placed first. I was struck by something she……

Early North American bee fossil We appreciate bees because they give us delicious honey. And we bless them for an abundant assortment of fruits, vegetables, berries, and nuts to nourish us. But we forget, or maybe never knew, that ancient bees gave the world something else. Color!    The planet looked much different 130 million……

As we walk into the new year, bee lovers see pockets of good news to smile about. Those include: reports of a promising vaccine against disease, bumble bees who fight off Asian hornets, and states adopting measures to limit the use of neonics, a family of chemicals that wreaks havoc on pollinators.    Scientists had……

Friends of bees love to hear good news. The radio announcer said the guest from the Idaho Transportation Department would speak about making highways friendly for wildlife. I assumed the spokesperson would talk on a well-publicized subject—protecting migratory routes for deer, elk, and pronghorns. Instead, the person talked about the agency’s efforts to establish habitat……

A friend loaned me a novel where a woman beekeeper tells much of the story. The book had great pacing, and the author showed a knowledge of beekeeping and honey collection. For a while, I wondered if the writer might be a beekeeper. But at some point, I decided she wasn’t. I read up on……

The last post, describing the bee’s marvelous body, got only as far as their crazy mouths and multi-talented antennae. On to the brain and eyes. Scientists like to study bees because of their cognitive abilities. The honeybee brain, small as a poppy seed, manages complex tasks and social interactions that guide colony life. Like the……

A close look at any species, including our own, teaches us that living creatures adapt well to their environment. But the honey bee could win a prize for inhabiting a body superbly suited to her life and mission.      Collecting nectar? The bee proboscis, a straw-like tongue, allows her to drink deeply from flowers. The……

A joke in beekeeping circles is, “Ask four beekeepers a question, and you will get five answers.” I find beekeepers a congenial lot, but it’s true they hold conflicting opinions on many subjects. Like, how best to house bees, mite control—natural or chemical? —and frequent hive inspections vs. leave-bees-the-heck-alone. It is not surprising that the……

Movies and TV shows sometimes set romantic scenes on rooftops. Elegant food appears on a table laid with a linen cloth and fancy crystal. Lovely music plays on a speaker. After dining, the lovers nestle at the roof’s edge and gaze down on blinking lights.   A rural person like me may think, “What is……

 Like most humans, bees labor in the daytime and slumber at night. Like us, they sleep for five to eight hours, and don’t function well if they miss those hours. Like us, they go through different stages of sleep—lighter to deeper. When they awaken, they take a while to get moving—no coffee available. They may……

“Why are your hives painted different colors?” my neighbor asked. I told her someone theorized that if hives are different colors, it helps the bees find their way home. That was all the excuse some of us needed to pretty up our bee houses. When I asked the young clerk at the Lowe’s paint desk……

Most folks designate The Dog as humankind’s best friend. Stories abound that tell of dog loyalty, usefulness, bravery, and intelligence. Dogs pull sleds in the North, guide the blind, guard perimeters, detect seizures in humans before they happen, help children learn to read, and lick the hands of hospice patients. The least clever dog, who……

The future that belongs to young people will need a healthy bee population for pollinating crops.  Some youth understand that. Here are three of them. California teen Rory Hu won a science competition for her research with honeybees. The girl became concerned about bee health after reading of the serious decline in their numbers.  Hu……

I pointed to the honey bowl on the table and told my guests, “For your toast.” “No thanks,” said one. “I don’t eat bug barf.” It wasn’t the first time I had heard golden, delicious honey described that way. But it suggests a misunderstanding of how bees make this wonderful food. We connect barfing with……

A well-dressed gentleman lifts a tiny, crystal glass from a lace-covered table. Several goblets sit side by side, holding amber goo. The man picks up a doll-size silver spoon, dips it into the goblet, and smears the spoon’s contents onto his lips. His tongue runs around his mouth. He sighs. “Robust, though delicate. Retains a……

Imagine that you are a soldier, wounded during the American Civil War. The medic treating you served only a brief apprenticeship, and few medicines are available to put on your wound. Carbolic or nitric acids. Turpentine. Whiskey could be poured on your injury, but you would rather it go down your throat to dull your……