Not too long ago, Pope Francis threw his hat into the ring when it came to the issue of declining honeybee populations, specifically calling for a dialogue about “how we are shaping the planet” and also that families embrace an ecological culture. Megan Ryan, a Catholic Indiana special education teacher and environmentalist, has taken up…
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Earlier this month, citizens in Concord, California faced the threat of several swarms of honeybees that reportedly “terrorized” a neighborhood, attacking a mail carrier and a beekeeper trying to reel them in and killing two miniature Dachshunds in their own backyards. The 25lb dogs were stung more than 50 times and the injured parties were…
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While some industries in New Zealand are seeing a downturn—dairy and energy in particular—the Manuka honey industry finds itself growing still and attracting even more interest and investment. One company brand new to the business, run by entrepreneurs Brett and Linda Mascull, has set up shop in Taranaki, NZ to create a beekeeping and honey…
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We all have passions when we’re young, and while some of us either lose those passions, grow out of them, or simply find new ones, one New York teen has a long term passion that not only provided direction for his career but could also be the answer to the great enigma that is colony…
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Grilled Chicken Salad w/ Manuka Honey Jalapeno Vinaigrette If you’re looking for a solid healthy meal that maintains flavor alongside nutrients, then look no further than this grilled chicken salad with homemade Manuka honey jalapeno vinaigrette! With solid doses of protein and plenty of vitamins thrown it, this recipe provides many of one’s daily needs…
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We all have career goals and dreams we hope to achieve in our lifetimes, and for Tom Kasper, a South Dakota owner of a lawn and landscape business, that dream was to own and operate his own greenhouse. He even specialized in greenhouse management at North Dakota State University, just to show how much that…
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It’s hard to not get nervous whenever coming upon a honeybee hive in the woods or in the backyard. Given honeybees’ ability to protect themselves with their best defense mechanism (that painful stinger), your first reaction would understandably be to assume they are the aggressive stuff of nightmares and to run the away, which as…
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With spring in full swing, many large scale orchards have begun working with beekeepers, in that beekeepers set up their colonies to pollinate the orchard’s crop while ensuring their honeybees have ample sources of nectar during blooming season. Whether it’s apple or almond production, the honeybees form mutually beneficially relationships with the crops. Of course,…
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We all have our favorite foods, but Michael Geraghty, the Irish body coach and fitness guru who’s made a splash on social media in recent months, has reminded us of the distinction between regular food and superfood, which is a marketing term for foods with supposed health benefits. As someone with a strong take on…
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Honeybees and a Barn Show When it comes time for siblings to go to college, more often than not they find themselves losing touch and growing apart as the years go on and individual identities are developed. Even so, sometimes the opposite occurs in that despite distance and busier schedules, siblings not only make the…
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BLT Jam Flatbread Pizza It’s true you can get a pretty decent pizza slice from a fast food chain or even your local pizza joint, but those options pale in comparison to homemade pizza, and this BLT Jam Flatbread Pizza is a one of kind flavor you’ll want to work into your diet as often…
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With the summer season coming up, worries about aggressive bees and the risks of stings increase, especially given some species’ tendency to swarm when their colony, honey stores, or larvae are threatened. Despite any fears people have of honeybees—fueled by personal experiences, observational learning, or old horror movies—the truth is the most common species in…
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The threat to honeybees presented by pesticides—specifically those with neonicotinoids—have become so well-known beyond the scientific community that even companies like Scotts Miracle-Gro have started the process of discontinuing their use permanently by certain dates and substituting those harmful products with safer alternatives. Given the rate of loss being around 45 percent of colonies per…
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While mostly well known for their importance as pollinators, honeybees are in fact some of the more intelligent insects and even species one can find and are especially strong navigators in spite of their relatively simple brain structures, simpler than even rats or mice with their hundreds times as many nerve cells. So strong is…
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At this point, it is well known that global honeybee populations are in decline, with one survey showing a 44 percent loss of colonies in the US alone. Whether due to parasites, neonicotinoid pesticides, or malnutrition, these losses directly impact people as well, given we rely on honeybees as pollinators, and as a result many…
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