Since we're back to the old global warming debate, and since we're now worried about bats, why not do bees? Have we ever done bees?

Here's a very recent article that I haven't read yet. I was just looking for something current.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/10......885.html

Bees did come up in a recent thread. One of us is a beekeeper, if I am not mistaken.

I missed that. So, who is the apiarist in the house? Make yourself known.

Bees are being wiped out by parasites but they like warm air.

I'm pretty sure my friend's daughter is working on the colony collapse disorder thing. If that's the case then I expect it to be resolved soon.

Yeah I wonder how that guys hives are doing. Last I heard he got the electric fence up and it was keeping the bears away.

Sherlock Holmes was a bee-keeper.

So is Alton Brown the "Good Eats" guy.

If there are any bee lovers in CT, I have a ton of them outside my front door. Feel free to take them. ALL of them.

On the tv show House his address is the same as Sherlock Holmes

My bees are doing great! The electric fence is up and running and no more bear problems. (This morning I was out chipmunk proofing the chicken run. One critter pest after another.)

There are a lot of theories out there as to what is happening to the bees. Three of the more popular or widely accepted ones among beekeepers appear to be:

Poisoning. Treated crop seeds, especially corn, or pesticide sprays being used incorrectly, are considered some of the worst culprits.

Mites. There are a couple of mites that have become quite a nuisance lately. However, these can now be treated pretty effectively by the beekeeper.

Global Warming. This theory states that the bees are coming out of the hive earlier than before in the spring and there is not enough food source for them because the plants haven't bloomed yet.

I'm not sure which theory I would adhere to since I only began beekeeping this spring and have not as yet had a problem with colony collapse.

They're not likely honeybees, but more than likely wasps. Check the area to see if they are nesting somewhere. Look for a small opening or hole that they appear to be going in and out of. Once you find that, how you handle the problem is up to you and your conscience.

I can see the nest. I'm just not going anywhere near it. I stuck my hand in a mailbox full of bee's a few years ago. I don't make the same mistake twice. I leave them alone, they leave me alone. Everyone is happy.

Speaking of wasps: me in my American ignorance never understood why German beer tankards have lids on them. When I moved to Germany, I found out very quickly. It's to keep the wasps out. I was stung three times in the mouth by wasps hiding in my beer. I quickly learned a sort of ritualistic [i]look into the glass/bottle before each drink[i] move, which Americans might find odd. But I haven't been stung again in over a decade.

Oh, and here's another tidbit: coasters are called "Bierdeckel" (beer lids). That's because these days most beer mugs don't have lids on them. What you do is take a second coaster and put it on top of the beer to keep out the wasps.

Kinda cool, huh?

I've long used those types of tankards as dust-resistant water glasses.

That's right critter. No reason to drink mud.

My favorite one is a half-gallon.

Here the only half-gallon sized glasses that are still used in bars are called "boots", and are shaped like...ah...boots. But you seldom see anyone using them except for frat boys.

I have a half-gallon beer boot

They were in the movie "Beerfest" as well. I met the German bodybuilder Gunter Schlierkamp who was one of the villians in that movie. He was incredibly nice and autographed my Beerfest DVD for me: "Das Boot! Gunter Schlierkamp."

Here's little story for you.

One time my friend Gerhard and I met for our usual Wednesday beer, and there were a couple of Swedes at the table next to us who were eating and drinking normal-sized beers. Gerhard and I usually drink out of one-liter mugs. They finished their meals, followed it with some kind of after-dinner schnaps, then ordered one-liter mugs for themselves. After they finished, they apparently asked whether there was anything larger. So out came two boots of beer. Assuming they were on their first beers when we came in, that's threee and a half liters of beer and a schnaps each. Now, I could do that myself over the course of a long evening--but I live in Germany. One of these Swedes was clearly not trained to accomplish such a feat, and he was literally stumbling all over the place. The other held up pretty well, though.