VarroaGate, and other things political

[oloriel]

(VarroaGate is not actually a political thing, but to me, it sounds like Watergate or Nipplegate, i.e., like some kind of political scandal. Perhaps in a beehive, it is? Maybe there is a special OH NOES VARROA waggle dance?)
(If you got this obscure joke, clap your hands.)

I actually made use of my membership with the lokal beekeeping club (I'm really just a member for insurance reasons) and went along on an excursion to the Bayer BeeCare Center in *dundundun* exotic Monheim. That was fascinating. (The most fascinating thing was in fact where I came too late, and a very friendly security guard tried to find out where my beekeeping club had gone, and drove me around in a security cart.) I missed the visit to the experimental greenhouses :( but came in time for drinks and cake and a lecture. Lecture was quite interesting. The facts as such weren't new, but it was interesting to learn about the research Bayer does with the bees (both in order to find better ways for dealing with the #1 problem of European bees, i.e., Varroa mites, and in order to find out how their pesticides etc. affect bees). That is, about how they do their research. We also got to see an experimental Varroa control method they're currently working on, the above-mentioned VarroaGate. I still have to be convinced that it's superior to current methods, but I seem to be less sceptical than some of the older beekeepers. (Some of their concerns are very silly, TBH. "But they'll loose their pollen if you work with that thing!" Yes. Because bees really desperately need pollen in autumn when they should no longer be breeding. (Spoiler: They don't.))

The older beekeepers were also being niggly about the fact that the former Institut für Insektizide is now called Pest Control because wah wah, Anglicisms and what's becoming of the German language. SURPRISE, GUYS. NEITHER Institut nor Insektizide are originally German words...

Speaking of nationalistic antics, so Scotland apparently remains British. As I don't have to care about Scottish economy etc., I have to admit that I found the thought of a FREE AT LAST! Scotland kind of attractive. In a historical sense. But it seems to make sense to stick with GB, and so they do.
Amusingly, on Wednesday when the referendum was held, one of our (German!) TV channels was showing Braveheart and Highlander. They clearly had an Opinion, too...

Comments

[satismagic.livejournal.com]

OMG the choices of that TV station amused the hell out of me. *cackles*

[cowboy-r.livejournal.com]

One of my friends in Tucson was an actual Bee Scientist, doing work on the neuroscience of bees. She moved to a different university, though, and we kind of lost touch, the which makes me kind of sad.

Anyway, sounds like an interesting field trip!

How are your hives doing?