Ruby's Bee Suite

It’s been a hard summer but a good bee year around the yard.

Every year, I eagerly await to determine if honeybees will be attracted to the prototypes I build. A group of Alfalfa Leaf Cutter Bees (ALCB) recently discovered an unused beehive in our yard and decided to make it their home. While they do not generate a substantial amount of traffic, their comings and goings are quite distinct. The photo represents a common occurrence that brings joy each time.

Dark bees are a phenomenon that exists in Alberta but are discredited by the commercial minded community do to lack of documentation. Darker bees can be a sign of longevity, not necessarily age, and here’s why.

The dark bee, an increasingly rare treasure that needs urgent protection ONG indépendante qui milite pour la protection des abeilles domestiques et sauvages, et pour une agriculture qui respecte tous les pollinisateurs

Strychnine is a highly toxic and previously banned substance in Canada. Not only does it cause excruciating pain to the intended target, it goes on to cause secondary poisoning in wildlife. Strychnine in trace amounts becomes part of the soil biome, eventually reaching the flowers of growing plants and crops. Our honeybees, the ones we all rely on for crop pollination, then consume this nectar which can cause mortality for entire colonies.
Saskatchewan politicians have decided to allow agricultural to use this highly toxic poison to fight gophers, at the expense of us, wildlife, and the pollinators that tend our food.

I hope you feel motivated to send them an email.

https://www.saskatchewan.ca/en/government/news-and-media/2026/march/31/saskatchewan-welcomes-pmra-approval-of-emergency-strychnine-use?fbclid=IwZnRzaAQ6RuJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeKYVbxRBtUkQkj9BLrp2T-dcMxg7iFY7PPFaGkjcc9clO32yweLn6bW0nMUU_aem_PueSMq_9EiRg2i4ZZa7eCg

Saskatchewan Welcomes Pest Management Regulatory Agency Approval of Emergency Strychnine Use | News and Media | Government of Saskatchewan A number of pages on the Government of Saskatchewan's website have been professionally translated in French. These translations are identified by a yellow box in the right or left rail that resembles the link below. The home page for French-language content on this site can be found at:

The government will not choose people, ecology, or environmental protection over money. It will be up to some to fight, and others to understand the deception. If not, your children will loose their futures.

Win for Endangered Species in the Rosebud Case - Alberta Wilderness Association After 13 years of opposition, the local landowners, residents and community, naturalists and conservationists, and...

Excellent piece on shifting climate and impact
on honeybees as they try to adapt.

Climate Change and Bees: The Effects of a Changing Planet This heavily researched and detailed blog lays out the myriad of ways climate change is impacting pollinators.

Honeybees have never been fully reliant on humans. They free feed, mate mainly in the wild, and are capable of self regulation when they locate a compatible cavity. In dry regions like alberta, there are periodic reports of what I like to call ‘Super Hives’. These are indeed wild bees, and they are amazing. I believe wild bees hold answers that will eventually show people how to properly coexist.

If you know of any older bee nests in the Alberta area, please let me know. It can become part of research that helps all humans understand how to preserve honeybees for agricultural pollination.

Happy New Year 🐝

Wild honeybees now officially listed as endangered in the EU The wild cousins of beehive honeybees are disappearing – here’s why that matters.