Dogs in Funny Outfit Helpng Honeybees

Just thought this was interesting:

Beekeeping dog in 'astronaut' suit detects infected hives by smell

Michael Graham Richard
Science / Natural Sciences
July 12, 2013

© Josh Kennett

Bzzz bzzz woof woof

Bees are extremely important. We've been writing about for years about the various threats that they face (Margaret has a great timeline of bee articles between 2005 and 2013), and about various ways to protect them. But this story from Australia might be the most original yet, or at the very least the cutest.

On the photo above is Bazz, a black labrador that beekeeper Josh Kennett has trained to detect by smell a serious bee disease called American foulbrood. The Paenibacillus larvae caused by the infection are usually only visible under high-magnification microscope, but thanks to Bazz, that's not necessary.

© Josh Kennett

Microscope analysis might not be needed thanks to Bazz's nose, but the dog still had to be protected from bee attack to get close enough to sniff out the hives. That's why Kennett built this protective suit that makes Bazz look a big like a canine astronaut.

It's particularly important to detect American foulbrood infections early because there is no cure (yet), so the only thing that can be done is quarantining the infected colonies to keep the disease from spreading.

wikimedia / Shawn Caza/CC BY-SA 3.0

You can listen to a radio interview with Mr. Kennett here about his bees and dog.

Via ABC Australia

January Stuff To Do

January Stuff To Do    Yes, we know it is cold outside but that does not mean there are not things to get accomplished in the garden. Here are this months tips: Use this month to check your houseplants: divide and re-pot any pot-bound plants. Prune judiciously to create a compact, attractive specimen. Closely inspect houseplants. Remove aphids from houseplants with a mixture of equal parts rubbing alcohol and water and add a drop of dishwashing detergent. Apply this to troubled plants with a soft brush. Plan your vegetable garden and make a diagram drawn to scale before placing your spring order. Organize, clean, oil, and sharpen garden tools. A splash of bright paint on tool handles will make them easier to spot if misplaced out in the yard. Remember to supply fresh water and seed for the birds. Gently shake or brush off snow-weighted branches that have no support. Heavy snow cover protects evergreen foliage from windburn, but too much weight will break branches. Prune fruit trees now. Avoid walking over the same areas of your frozen lawn, or you may find bald spots in the spring. Plant lettuce in flats this month and harvest before it's time to start some of the later seedlings. Artificial light may be required, but the air should not be too hot. Finalize your landscape garden plans on paper (or better yet, call us and have our designers do it for you!).   Adapted from The Old Farmer's Almanac

14 Ways To Live More Sustainably

14 Ways to Change Your State in 2014

Reprinted from NCSU* Sustainability (Bruce's alma mater! - Go Pack!)

Posted December 29, 2013 by cwdavis3 & filed under All Blogs, Community,Planet.

These 14 actions will help you, NC State and our world be more sustainable:

Use a reusable water bottle.

They help reduce waste and they’re awesome (see our favorite reasons why).

Drive less, walk more to reduce your carbon footprint.

Both you and the world benefit when you start stepping. You reap benefits of more exercise while also preserving clean air and natural resources.

Eat more local food.

Nothing’s better than homegrown — both in taste and benefits to your local economy (read reasons why you can go loco for local food).

Take shorter showers.

You’ll save at least 2 gallons for every minute you reduce your shower time. Reduce your daily shower by one minute and you’ll save 730 gallons a year!

Use natural lighting instead of overhead lights and lamps.

Lighting accounts for up to 15 percent of all energy use, so hit the switch when you can to save energy.

Use reusable bags.

Why waste a plastic shopping bag when you can bring your own? Check out other reasons why reusable bags rock.

Grow your own kitchen herbs.

Nothing will make a dinner better than adding some homegrown herbs. Plus, indoor plants help improve your indoor air quality.

Pick up one piece of litter per day.

It beautifies our communities and ensures that loose trash doesn’t later interfere with waterways or wildlife.

If you are able, take the stairs instead of an elevator.

Think of all the extra calories you’ll burn while saving the electricity used by elevators.

Use dish clothes instead of paper towels.

You can use a reusable dish cloth over and over again instead of throwing away paper towels. It’s an easy way to save trees.

Turn up your thermostat in summer and down in winter.

Aim for indoor temperatures of 78 in the summer and 68 in the winter to cash in on the biggest energy savings.

Wash your clothes on cold.

Often the hot isn’t hot enough to clean clothes more effectively, so save some energy and click the temperature dial to cold.

Line dry your clothes instead of using the dryer.

You’ll use less energy and your clothes won’t shrink in the dryer.

Reduce food waste.

Up to 40 percent of food is trashed, so make sure your eyes aren’t bigger than your stomach when you’re picking your portion size. Get what you know you can eat so you’ll waste less food. Live on campus? Check out the real weight of campus food waste.

Wishes

Snow...Good or Bad

Snow...Good or Bad? Not meaning to be wimpy on the answer...both. Snow is a great insulator. Extreme cold temperatures can damage tender roots but snow, like a good blanket, provides enough insulation to protect them. Snow provides moisture. Ten inches of snow equals about one inch of rain. That is a good amount of water going into the water table for plants to use later on. Snow prevents heaving. When soil freezes, it often heaves. This can cause plants to actually be pushed out of the ground. Snow helps prevent this. Snow can be damaging. Unfortunately true. Heavy snow can cause tree branches to break and shrubs to split. A good way to prevent this is to have your trees professionally pruned and to brush heavy snow off of shrubs. If nothing else, a snowy landscape is a beautiful thing to enjoy, especially from inside.

And The Winner Is...

And The Winner Is.... Lady Bug Submitted by the Seneca Lake Elementary Garden Club. See the rest of our wonderful entries at our Facebook Page

Jack-O-Lantern Photo Contest!!

Win $250 in Allentuck Landscaping Bucks for you and for the school of your choice. Here's How It Works (so easy):  Get a pumpkin (preferably not from your neighbor's porch). Carve or paint your pumpkin. Take a picture of your Jack-O-Lantern. Click the "Submit" button below and attach the picture of your Jack-O-Lantern. Tell us your name and school. Go to our Facebook page between October 20th to October 30th and "Like" your picture (we'd sure appreciate it if you would "Like" our page too while you are there). Tell all your friends to go to our Facebook page and "Like" your picture too. Winner and school will be announced on October 31st on our Facebook page and by email. Why are you still reading this? Go get a pumpkin!

A few rules (sorry, have to have a few): Entrants must be from the Allentuck Landscaping Co. service area. You do not need to be a current ALC customer to enter or vote (although we would like you to become a customer of course). ALC reserves the right to reject any photo it deems inappropriate.