honey bees

Sweet fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), the herb, has been beloved by bees in my garden for most of the summer. I have a yard full of bee-favorite flowers, but judging…

Imagine that you have to motivate someone to save the bees–to communicate bee benefits. What would you say? I’ll admit I am not a big fan of educational material that pro-bee…

While a swarm of bees can be scary, even terrifying for some, it is not something to fear. Here are the easy steps for how to deal with a swarm.…

The news is pretty grim, I’m afraid. Beekeepers across the United States lost an estimated 44% of their honey bee colonies during the 2015-2016 season (from April-April). About 15% of losses…

I recently planted most of my herb garden this past weekend and it made me so….. happy. Herbs are fragrant, charming, and useable in the kitchen or medicinally. It turns out…

It is definitely dandelion season here, the bright yellow blossoms bursting forth everywhere they are allowed to grow. Where I grew up, dandelions were non-existent. My family home had no…

Despite the bad news about honey bees, there is a tremendous amount you can do. Here is my take on it. Many of these steps also help other pollinators too,…

Besides tasting great to us humans, bees and beneficial insects love dill too, gathering both pollen and nectar from its flowers. I love it with smoked fish and potatoes–but I…

On April 7, Maryland became the first state to ban the consumer use of neonicotinoid pesticides. Bravo Maryland! Neonicotinoid is a class of chemicals that include seven different chemicals.…

Watch a bee on the gorgeous annual sunflower (Helianthus annuus), and the phrase “busy as a bee” comes to mind. A sunflower’s head is actually composed of hundreds of…