High-tech robotic hive keeps honeybees alive during cold spells
While honeybees are notoriously difficult to study, changing their natural behavior when any outside influences are detected, they are also extremely vulnerable to colony collapse due to cold. If hive temperatures fall below 50 °F, the bees stop buzzing and producing heat and fall into a lethal Read More...
4 fascinating facts about bees to celebrate Bee Day
May 20th is Bee Day! So, to celebrate our fabulous pollinating friends, here are four facts that go beyond their all-important role in plant cross-fertilization. Females are the future Female bees have different jobs depending on the species, but in all communities, female bees play essential Read More...
How healthy is honey?
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM For those of us with a sweet tooth, honey can seem like a literal lifesaver. We get to drizzle something sweet and syrupy all over our toast, goat cheese, or even in a big stream into our morning tea, and there’s nothing to worry about because it’s a Read More...
This company lets you devote a section of your backyard to honeybees
In 2019, beekeepers in the US have lost 37 percent of their honeybee colonies, a disconcerting phenomenon that’s part of a broader global decline in pollinator populations. One way that people can help restore these populations is by practicing beekeeping. But as enticing as it may sound, Read More...
This startup makes real honey without involving any bees in the process
While the plight of honeybees has gotten a lot of attention in recent years, it is actually wild bees who are facing the biggest threats of extinction, in part because they have to compete with honeybees for their food. This eventually means that the more honey production increases, the more the Read More...
Preserve our wonder
Progress is essential, but not at the cost of our environment. July/August Issue 2012 | Amy Domini I’ll admit that I’ve never been particularly careful about honeybees. As a kid, I’d catch them in jars and threaten my younger brother with them. As a gardener, I find it fun to stare hard Read More...