bees

  • Quickiesbrown bunny being fed a leaf on a yoga mat

    Quickies: Protests in Puerto Rico, Deadly Anti-vaxxer, Border Patrol agent opens up…

    It’s Friday and I’m jetting off to yet another conference today (gotta hustle for that tenure) but I’m stopping in quickly to share a few stories that have been of interest this past week. Thanks to the folks joining us over at Discord for helping, especially on weeks like this when I’m not paying the best attention to the world!…

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  • Quickiesthree adorable dogs

    Quickies: The “real” Captain Marvel, teapot physics, same-sex marriage in Taiwan…

    Today is a special Cute Animal Friday because you get not one, not two, but THREE adorable puppers! Say hello to Rocket, Booster, and Comet, furbabies of the amazing Surly Amy. It is a life goal of mine to have a pack as sweet as these three. I think it’s safe to say that we could all use a cuddle…

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  • Meta Stuff

    ICYMI: August 18 – August 24 on the Skepchick Network

    Teen Skepchick The ‘Schism’ in Skepticism A smaller skeptics movement sans misogynists is OK with Lux. Suspension of Disbelief: The World’s End Eddy reviews the last installment of Simon Pegg’s and Edgar Wright’s ‘Cornetto trilogy.’ Speak Your Mind: Art Class How does doing art feed your academics? Mad Art Lab A Tale of Two Mediums: Photography vs. Cinematography Watch Gigi’s…

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  • Sciencebees

    It’s hard out there for a bee

    I’ve written various laments about  CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) in honey bees here over the last few years.  One key problem is that CCD as described by entomologists is not the same as “disappearing bees” as described by media or Hollywood. (Although, to be fair, “vanishing bees” is a pretty cool idea, suggesting that perhaps aliens have decided to abduct bees…

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  • Sciencebee

    Bumblebees in Spring

    It is finally starting to reliably warm up in spring, although we still have a few cold evenings. Bumblebees are one of the first pollinators out in the spring, and the fuzzy adorableness of their bodies does help retain heat. With the help of a thermal camera, David Attenborough shows us some other clever tricks that let these “cold-blooded” insects warm up and…

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  • Science

    Are Neonicotinoid Pesticides Killing Bees?

    This was a big week for bee news!  New research on bees and pesticides was published, and a major white paper from the Xerces Society on the same topic was released. The pesticides in question are called Neonicotinoids, since they are derived from nicotine (used as a pesticide since the 1700's). "Neonics" are systemic insecticides, or insecticides that are taken up…

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  • Scienceblueprint

    The Urban Beehive is an urban legend

    I started getting questions about this “urban beehive” early in November.  I thought it was fairly obvious that it was a gimmick–a PR op by a company that wanted to get some free press. And yet…it has become the story that will not die: “The extraordinary contraption hangs inside the house and features see-through materials so you can watch the insects…

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  • Science

    Bees, CCD, and Cellphones: Still no Link

    Once again, the media is going bonkers over a bee paper, and making claims way out of proportion to any actual results.  OMG RADIATIONS IN MAI BEEZ!!! Here are some sample headlines: Cellphones cause bees to swarm and die Phone signals confuse bees and cause them to fly erratically before suddenly dying It’s official–cell phones are killing bees I do…

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