Dog to sniff out threatened bees

Researchers studying the decline of the bumblebee have trained a dog to sniff out the insects in the wild.

Toby, a three-year-old Springer spaniel, can find the bees' nests, hidden in dense undergrowth or in the ground, using only his nose.

Experts at the University of Stirling said that studying the threatened bees was made much harder because of the difficulty in tracking them down.

The three-year project involving Toby is the first of its kind.

Prof Dave Goulson, who will oversee the work of Toby, said that his involvement would give a huge boost to conservation efforts.

He said that of the UK's 25 varieties of bumblebee, three had become extinct and several others were in danger of going the same way because researchers knew very little about how they lived and what was destroying them.

Source: BBC

(via The Poodle (and Dog) Blog)

Mason bee house

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via: the Green Head

Joke: Bar Mitzva Bee

Two bees met in a field. One said to the other, "How are things going?" "Really bad," said the second bee. "The weather has been cold, wet and damp, and there aren't any flowers, so I can't make honey."

"No problem," said the first bee. "Just fly down five blocks and turn left. Keep going until you see all the cars. There's a Bar Mitzvah going on and there are all kinds of fresh flowers and fresh fruit."

"Thanks for the tip," said the second bee, and flew away.

A few hours later the two bees ran into each other again. The first bee asked, "How'd it go?"

"Great!" said the second bee. "It was everything you said it would be. There was plenty of fruit and, oh, such huge floral arrangements on every table."

"Uh, what's that thing on your head?" asked the first bee.

"That's my yarmulke," said the second bee. "I didn't want them to think I was a WASP."