It’s probably not hard to figure, but it’s well known that honeybees are important parts of our daily survival and function as a species, which is why so much focus has been placed on finding out what’s causing bees to decline and what we can do to ensure their various sub-species are not lost to…
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How Food Irradiation Can Make Honey Safer Given the panic and fear that comes from botulism, salmonella, and other diseases born of contaminated food, many food producers and distributors have had safety precautions put in place to protect themselves from lawsuits and the public from these diseases, whether it’s by pasteurizing milk, purifying water, and…
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As many beekeepers have learned, the state of North Dakota is one of the best habitats in the country for raising honeybees, and it’s why one in five bee colonies—about 250 billion bees—spend summer there, producing twice as much honey as any other state. “North Dakota is the last, best place in North America to…
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Upon retiring from the Army this past March, Sgt. 1st Class Ben Finch had the plan of expanding his vegetable farm at his Fort Polk home in Louisiana into a larger, commercial operation, and he’s discovered one of the best ways to do this is through honeybees and beekeeping. “Beekeeping looks like a natural way…
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Caribbean Burgers with Manuka Honey Pineapple Chutney If you’re looking for something unique for dinner or want to serve something special and different for Fourth of July this year, then these Caribbean Burgers with Manuka Honey Pineapple Chutney are a great place to start! Adding spice to the typical burgers we’re all used to, these…
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In Oakland, CA, there lives a father of four who’s a “bee rescuer” rather than a beekeeper because he is the one people call when displaced swarms of honeybees make nests in homes or populated places. Considering most fear bees, this man, Khaled Almaghafi, instead removes them calmly with a soft vacuum and transports them…
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For those who haven’t heard of varroa mites, they are small, destructive parasites known for their parasitic relationship with honeybees—more specifically, they’re known for their ability to devastate honeybee colonies and are a likely factor contributing to or are related to colony collapse disorder (CCD). Varroa mites, like all parasites, suck blood from honeybees at…
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It’s not an uncommon story that eventually a retiree decides to find a vocation that he or she does less for money and more for enjoyment. A Bemidji, MN man, Les Hiltz, who spent much of his adult life harvesting and caring for his own farm, has decided his retirement vocation would be what was…
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It likely makes sense for an industry to take care of the living source of its very income, to not only ensure those in the industry can have that income for as long as possible but to also ensure that living source has a sound quality of life—which is a mutually beneficial relationship predating domestication…
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It takes creative talent to communicate a specific goal, message, or theme with a piece art and even more so to get observers to see the point of a piece. British artist Wolfgang Buttress, a man of these intentions, said of his most recent work, “I want visitors to feel enveloped, wrapped-up, and involved in…
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Manuka Honey Cherry-Berry Bread Mix In case you were looking for a homemade sweetbread recipe, this Cherry-Berry Bread Mix, made with Manuka honey, will have you telling yourself not to have another piece before you even knew what happened! Prepared for immediate use or short term and long term storage, this recipe allows the most…
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Many of us have likely heard in movies or biology classes that some animal species can switch genders in the event of an absent gender, as some may have seen in Jurassic Park: “life finds a way.” There are also cases where certain species can even change the way they reproduce, and as scientists discovered in South…
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As the years have gone on, the US and many other countries have seen honeybee colonies decline at increasing rates per year, sometimes up to 44 percent, with causes linked to pesticides, diseases, mites, malnutrition, and colony collapse disorder (CCD). With such losses becoming well known among the general population, many states have seen increases…
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If one has only a general knowledge of New Zealand (or just knows it as Manuka honey’s homeland), it’s safe to say the image one has in mind regarding New Zealand is one of lush green hills below the jagged, sine-wave of white-capped mountains, with deep blue water somewhere in between. It’s also safe to…
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As a hive reproduces every given season, the new honeybee generation is intended to replace the oldest one (which typically leaves the hive when close to dying so their kin doesn’t have to clean up) as well as other losses. As sometimes happens, hives can grow too big, leaving honeybees without enough space and honey to…
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