Category: Animals

Back to beekeeping | Adventuresinbeeland’s Blog

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It’s been a long time. A lot has happened. I’ve moved house. I’ve sold my bees, caught a swarm, given that away, nearly given up on bees completely, and then started going to meetings at my local association apiary, about twenty minutes drive away in mid-Cornwall. Back in my suit! I miss my bees and it’s been fantastic watching the bees being inspected. Two weeks ago I spotted a new queen and one of the tutors marked her in this year’s color, red. I’ve now been asked to become a tutor myself and show complete beginners inside a hive, taking…
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Farm animals, crops suffer from extreme weather affecting China

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Hong Kong CNN — With parts of China experiencing record high temperatures and heavy rains, reports of farm animals and crops suffering from extreme weather patterns are dominating headlines in the country, raising concerns about food security in the world’s second largest economy. China experienced its worst heat wave and drought in decades during the summer of 2022, which caused widespread power shortages and disrupted food and industrial supply chains. This year, extreme heat has ravaged many parts of the country even earlier than last year. Pigs, rabbits and fish have been dying from the searing temperatures, and wheat fields…
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Raw Food Diets

Kiki,
With the advent of holistic and alternative practices in human nutrition, the trend has found its way into the domain of pet care too. One such nutrition trend that has gained considerable momentum in recent years is the raw food diet for pets, particularly cats and dogs.  Advocates for this diet argue it is more natural, aligned with the evolutionary feeding habits of cats and dogs, and can result in numerous health benefits. Conversely, detractors voice concerns over nutritional balance and the risk of bacterial contamination.  Let’s delve into the raw food diet, exploring its pros and cons and examining…
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Biodegradation of Cyanide Wastes from Mining and Jewellery Industries 

Kiki,
Cyanide is a highly toxic compound that is used in a variety of industries, including mining and jewelry. When cyanide is released into the environment, it can have a devastating impact on wildlife and ecosystems.  How Cyanide is Used in the Mining and Jewelry Industries  In the mining industry, cyanide is used to extract gold and silver from ore. The ore is crushed and then treated with a solution of cyanide. The cyanide bonds to the gold and silver, forming a complex that can be easily separated from the ore.  In the jewelry industry, cyanide is used to plate metals…
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Love of animals leads to $900K estate donation to Okanagan shelter – Okanagan

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A friendship struck years earlier between a Kelowna man and an abandoned dog has paved the way for a record-breaking donation that will change countless animal lives in the days to come. Kelowna resident Paul Bilyk died in 2021, but his generous spirit, and lifelong love of animals, has ensured his legacy will carry on at the Kelowna branch of the BC SPCA. On Wednesday, representatives from the local organization confirmed that Bilyk donated $910,764 to them. It’s one of the largest estate donations that the Kelowna branch has received in its 60-year history. 2:16 Breeder shutdowns leading to influx…
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Iceland sounds death knell for whaling a month after Leo Varadkar’s criticism

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Leo Varadkar raised the issue with his counterpart, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, in a bilateral meeting during the Council of Europe meeting in Reykjavík last month. He said Ireland was a whale sanctuary, and was seeing the benefits. Iceland’s whale-watching industry is worth at least three times more than its blubber trade. Iceland has now decreed a suspension of whaling this summer season. It is one of only three countries in the world – including Japan and Norway – that still openly hunts whales, although a secret industry may still operate in Russia, which has a long history of disguising its sea…
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Some Animals Have No Choice but to Live at Airports Now

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For the past several decades, Portsmouth International Airport at Pease, in New Hampshire, has hosted a frequent flier with no known credentials. It comes and goes as it pleases, always bypassing security; it carries no luggage, not even a government-issued ID. But unlike the other passengers that regularly flock to Pease, the upland sandpiper—a spindly, brown-freckled bird native to North America’s grasslands—has no destination apart from the airport itself. The fields between Pease’s runways and taxiways are now the only place in the entire state where the species is known to reproduce regularly. Each year, about seven sandpiper couples nest…
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Swarm collecting tips from Tamsin Harris

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This week I listened to a great talk for the West Cornwall Beekeepers Association by their member Tamsin Harris, who is a very experienced commercial worker. She came across as a practical person with a quick, dry sense of humour. The idea behind the talk was that more swarm collectors were needed, so the association was hoping for people to be encouraged to volunteer. Here are some of Tamsin’s tips: Put up bait hives. She does 15-20 a year, using a four or five frame nuc box. It should be watertight with a small entrance, and preferably old, so they…
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