Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Ice cream news from Kim F.

I know it seems like I have forgotten the bees--I haven't-- I am just afraid to inve$t until we know more about CCD. Here is a newsbite from somebody who is actively trying to fix this nasty threat to our agricultural saftey.

Haagen-Dazs joins with others in Helping The Honey Bee!
Just three months after the Haagen-Dazs brand announced its national Haagen-Dazs loves Honey Bees(TM) program and its pledge to donate $250,000 to Pennsylvania State University and the University of California, Davis, to fund sustainable pollination and Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) research, the ice cream brand is following in the apiary tradition of teamwork and announcing several new and notable partnerships with organizations that share the goal of helping honey bees.

The Haagen-Dazs brand has partnered with Pollinator.org, an organization dedicated to preserving the health of honey bees and native pollinators in the U.S. The two organizations will host an "Ice Cream Social on the Hill" in Washington, D.C. during National Pollinator Week June 22-28 to keep honey bees and America's hardworking and struggling beekeepers top-of-mind for legislators and decision makers.

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In the meantime, My mom and my greatAunt Sally have given me a pretty thorough background in keeping hens-- so I am moving the chickens up the priority ladder. I am confident with them; with the bees I am a noob. It seemed like the bees would be more likely to NOT need a "bee sitter" (despite the fact that we aren't planning anything beyond four day weekends this summer--what with two houses and a college student.--but in fact it seem the chickens are first. So Monday I drive to Belleville and pick them up. I am contemplating naming them after Shakespearean females, thus Lavinia, Ophelia, Juliet,Gertrude, Lady Mac and Desdemona. Whaddya think? Zoli wanted to name them after Greek gods

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beatatrice and Titania have now come up as have Emilia and "NURSE"

biscodo said...

As honey bees go - I hear they're really low-maintenance. And just having them in the neighborhood helps the overall continental population against CCD - it adds to "herd" diversity and provide. Bee-sides, CCD only affects some hives. If there's more people with hives, the more will survive.

Are they pets, or food? 'Cause I was thinking you could name one of them "Supper in August" or maybe "Ms. Breakfast"

Kate said...

ron breland keeps bees in new york among other things and he designed a dodecahedron bee hive that mimics nature. in these hives bees seem to thrive better than the "file cabinet" bee hives but have a lower honey output. they are really pretty though.

Kate said...

http://www.himalayaninstitute.org/YogaPlus/Article.aspx?id=2029

this is a link to an article on ron breland.

Anonymous said...

Thankyou ,
Glad you considered our thoughts. Great names ! Name the rooster after the greek God !

Daye said...

no rooster mom. no alarm clock thanks!