Every week or so we take a look at the comics we published and try to reveal some behind-the-scenes intrigue. See here for the full archives.
My beekeeping experience?
I started out the conventional way (sort of) by doing a beekeeping course and learning about honeybees. I was motivated to sustain honeybee populations in the backyard, mostly for pollination purposes.
But now I realise that if we are concerned with pollination, it’s also useful to look beyond the honeybee since there are many other insect pollinators. This is why I currently keep bumblebee nests in my backyard, and I am in the process of building ‘insect hotels’ as part of my PhD research to attract solitary bees such as the leafcutter bee. So, I’m expanding the meaning of the term beekeeper!
(the insect hotels are likely to also attract other insects, but that’s a whole other story!)
So, what are the bees doing right now?
Well, that depends on where you live, and what kind of bees you are talking about! Here in New Zealand it’s summer and many beekeepers (of honeybees) are harvesting honey. I’ve particularly noticed this year that bumblebees are very abundant, and I haven’t seen that many honeybees around. The wasps are becoming more active too. I’ve been enjoying watching the flowering wild fennel outside my window that is simultaneously visited by wasps and honeybees. Though I believe the wasp populations are becoming problematic in some areas….
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