“Where’s the best place to put my beehive?”

June 13, 2014

This is a question I hear often. Here’s what I tell folks: There are five key points to keep in mind when deciding where to place your hive:           • sun exposure           • wind direction           • dampness           • access to water           • neighbors Sun Exposure Beehives don’t have built-in air conditioning or heaters, so the job […]

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Bombus spp. – The Bumblebees

April 11, 2014

S. Name: Bombus spp. (BOM-bus) C. Name: Bumblebee Size: 10-23 mm Flying teddy bears, bumblebees are large and furry and easy to spot. Several species can be found in each state with different species being active at different times of the year. They typically have a base color of black with yellow, orange and/or white […]

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Andrena spp. – The Mining Bees

April 4, 2014

Genus:  Adrena (an-DREE-nuh) Common Name:  Mining Bee Size:  7-18 mm If you find a patch of bare or lightly-vegetated ground filled with holes that look like they were poked in with a pencil, you may have found an aggregation of mining bees.  Mining bees are medium-size bees that are generally dark in color.  Individual species […]

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Will Bees Suffer so We can Grow More Oysters?

March 7, 2014

Commercial shellfish growers in Washington State want to begin using the most toxic pesticide to bees, Imidacloprid, to control burrowing shrimp in Willapa Bay. Burrowing shrimp (Neotrypaea californiensis and Upogebia pugettensis) are native to Willapa Bay but carry little commercial value. They can have a negative impact on commercial shellfish operations by churning up sediment […]

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Bumblebee Workshop

July 30, 2013

There are many ways to know an animal. Scientists often get to know an organism by killing it, dissecting it, and becoming intimate with every organ and each tiny process. I prefer to simply observe Life playing out in its plant and animal forms, in its beautiful dance of self-volition and primal directive. I believe […]

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Leafcutter Bee at Work

July 24, 2013

I’m intrigued by animals who do the unexpected. There is no lack of examples of unexpected events occurring in the animal world, at all levels, in all species. All we have to do is watch and we see amazing things. The critter I want to talk about today is one of those animals. On the […]

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