[Updated 6/19/14] It is with dismay that I must report on another bumblebee kill, this time only about a mile away from the bees in my yard. All of the details are not in yet, but the basic picture is clear. Insecticide was sprayed early Monday morning, 6/16, on blooming linden trees in an apartment [...]
The Mechanisms of Neuro-toxic Pesticides
Agricultural pesticides have become part of the chemical landscape that we all live in. To be able to make intelligent decision about the use and regulation of these chemicals, it's important to understand how they work. Almost all modern pesticides are chemicals that interfere in some way with the nervous system. The characteristics of the [...]
The Uke Case Music Stand
For the last few years, playing music and singing with others has become an important source of joy and connectedness in my life. It might even be one reason this poor blog has had fewer and fewer entries as the virtual online world has taken a back seat to real life! This all started because [...]
Persistent Yellow Jackets
Here we are on Thanksgiving, after a week of unseasonably cold weather for Eugene, and still the yellow jackets are pestering my bees. Perhaps I'm just watching more carefully this year, but I've never noticed such a persistent problem. During the summer I notice the wasps patrolling the ground in front of the hives. [...]
Environmental Implications of Pesticides with Delayed Toxicity
The debate about the environmental safety, or lack there of, for the neonicotinoid insecticides begs us to ask what would be the characteristics of an environmentally safe or benign pesticide? Despite a growing and flourishing organic agriculture movement, industrial agriculture is not going away any time soon. Hence it is important to understand how to [...]
Neonics and Bees — Political Inaction Persists Despite Mounting Evidence
Over the course of the last year, the issue of bees and the neonicotinoid pesticides has finally begun to appear in the popular press in this country. A campaign by Friends of the Earth in the UK resulted in major garden center chains removing the neonics from their shelves in February of last year. Early [...]
DateTrike Meets Burning Man
The blog has been on summer vacation, partly because I've been too busy having fun to write about it. But the seasons turn, and every year around labor day, The Man burns in the Nevada desert. This year the DateTrike made its way to Black Rock City. The original inspiration for the craft rose from [...]
DateTrike Construction
Wherever we go on the DateTrike, our vehicle turns heads, gets smiles, and everyone wants one. I'm won't be making any more of these, but it is no harder than any other mildly complex project, so I'll present a few of the details here for those who are up to the challenge. If you happen to [...]
Time-dependent Toxicity of Imidacloprid in Bees and Ants
Honeybee colony losses continue to be unacceptably high. In the US this spring, colonies brought in to California to pollinate almonds from throughout the country, about half of the colonies were lost (New York Times, March 29, 2013). It is generally accepted that multiple pathogens ultimately bring down stressed colonies (Cornman 2012). However the role [...]
DateTrike Complete
The DateTrike made its debut last summer. Since them there have been a few refinements, and finishing details that have given the craft a more finished look and some added features. The fenders are a big appearance boost, and also keep arms and sleeves off the rear tires. Tubing chain guards keep your pants clean. [...]
Squash Practice 