No one likes being laughed at. And no one likes sibling sabotage. The laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) does both with little regard for what we find objectionable. Laughing kookaburras are the largest kingfisher species in the world and can be described as stout, stocky, and overall pretty thicc [1]. These creepy kooks, like many frightening…
Author: Adrian Perez
I study honey bees
Sunday Sketch: Silent but deadly
Read about predatory flatulence in this week’s Sunday Sketch.
Sunday Sketch: Dog democracy is nothing to sneeze at
Read about the wonderfully interesting world of dog democracy!
Creature Feature: “FireHawks”
Did you think fire manipulation was unique to humans? Not so! Read about Australian firehawks with apocryphal arsonist aptitudes…
Field Frame Friday: Hygienic bees
This photo shows a circular section of comb that bees have (mostly) cleared of larvae that were made to simulate diseased brood. Bees will remove the capping on these “diseased” larvae and take them out of the hive before the pathogen can reach it’s infectious stage, thus keeping the colony healthy! We usually hope for…
Lone Wolves, Angry Beavers, and Busy Bees: The connections among sociality, personality, and the organization of work
Let’s imagine that you’ve achieved the millennial dream and your new Etsy shop has begun to really take off. Apparently, your idea of making jewelry out of recycled fidget spinners really resonates with people. Up until now you’ve worked alone to run your business: you design the products, you make the jewelry, you handle advertising,…
Field Notes: Busy Bees and a Busier Grad Student
For the last 10 months or so, not a single day has gone by where I haven’t spent some amount of time thinking about honey bees, reading about honey bees, working with honey bees, or listing off cool honey bee facts to anyone willing to listen. If you’ve been following the blog in recent months, […]
Field Fiasco: Unleash the Bees!
Some of the greatest discoveries of how honey bee colonies work have been made using observation hives: glass-walled hives that allow scientists to monitor the activities of the colony. Setting up my observation hives in early April marked the true start of my field season. Coming into lab to greet, stare at, and admire my…
Field Fiasco: Truck Troubles
Everything comes with trade offs. It’s a fundamental truth that governs how we think as biologists, but it also applies to pretty much everything else in life. In terms of field work, I get the luxury of having Davis serve as my field site. So no, I don’t get to spend my summers in the…
