Birds, Bees, & Bugs
The week of June 23, 2019 - We explore the solutions helping our environment's most productive and important little creatures.
American honeybees are bouncing back after a bad year
When it comes to beekeeping, the number of winter deaths within a bee colony is a crucial indicator of the colony’s health. Colonies will always see a percentage of the population wiped out by colder temperatures and less abundant flowers, but what’s most important in this case is how many Read More...
Irish beekeeper constructs colorful LEGO hive in his backyard
From cleaning out the basement to taking up bread making, people around the world have taken up new hobbies to fill their quarantined time. One creative bee-lover in Ireland decided to use the time to create an elaborate home for bees out of LEGO blocks. Ruari O Leocháin, a school teacher and Read More...
New agreement helps protect migrating monarch butterflies
Every year millions of monarch butterflies migrate from northern and eastern U.S. and Canada to spend winter in southern California and Mexico. Now, these threatened species are getting a little more help along the way, thanks to an agreement between The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Read More...
Forget dressers, IKEA wants you to build a bee house
The task of building IKEA furniture has been challenging newlyweds and college students for years. In 2020, the company started offering a new challenge to customers: building bee habitats. IKEA’s research and design lab, SPACE10, has partnered with European design studio Bakken & Bæck, Read More...
EU commission drafts pollinator-protecting pesticide regulations
Agricultural pesticides pose a serious threat to pollinator populations, including bees. To save these species, The European Commission is seeking to halve the use of pesticides by 2030. The potential new rules to decrease pesticides include especially reducing the use of chemical and Read More...
Rare blue calamintha bee spotted for first time in four years
Until this past March, the blue Calamintha bee had not been seen for four years and was thought to be extinct. But recently, a researcher with a keen eye spotted the blue bee while installing bee condos in Central Florida's Lake Wales Ridge area. Its sighting is a beacon of hope for Read More...
Pakistan’s Billion Tree project is bringing the bees and honey back
In 2018, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan announced the Billion Tree project, a lofty country-wide effort to plant 10 billion trees over a 5-year span. The project has already led to the planting of hundreds of thousands of trees, resulting in a huge boost in bee populations. Apparently, Read More...
How animals understand and use numerical skills
Animals may have a more complex understanding of our world than we thought. Specifically, they may be able to understand numbers and counting. No, they don’t practice arithmetic, but researchers have found that most animals have what they call “numerical competence.” For example, honeybees Read More...
Scientists are engineering bacteria to save bees
Researchers at the University of Texas have reported in the reputable scientific journal Science that they may have developed a new method to save bees from colony collapse. The new method is unique in the sense that it requires genetically engineered bacteria to work for us. Once inserted in Read More...
Want to help bees? Consider adding these plants to your garden
Bees are critical members of our food chain. These buzzing backyard insects pollinate three-quarters of all fruits, nuts, and vegetables, but they are on the decline. Fortunately, of the 20,000 known bee species in the world, 4,000 are native to the US and there are many flowers you can plant in Read More...