Like it or not, it's bee season. Those little guys (or in some cases, frightfully large) will be out and about conducting regular bee business like pollinating and making honey and producing wax for beeswax candles. No matter your outdoor activity of choice, you'll inevitably encounter them. With all of the news surrounding massive bee deaths last year, you might feel guilty killing one should it land on you. It would of course be preferable to avoid getting stung altogether, but sometimes it's unavoidable.

Thankfully there's a simple and natural process for removing stingers and treating the pain of stings. The bonus is, if you're on vacation and not close to your hotel or a pharmacy, a local restaurant and your wallet should hopefully have what you need to take care of the problem. Intrigued yet? Watch the video below to see how you can easily and effectively treat a bee sting.

» Video Jug

We've been following the plight of bees for sometime now. The bee population has been diminishing throughout North America and the U.K. over the past couple of years, and while there are several theories as to what is causing the disappearances, scientists remain stumped. While researchers try to pinpoint the exact reason (or reasons) for the strange phenomenon, there are small things we can do to help. We've discussed ideas such as supporting your local bee industry through the purchase of honey and beeswax candles, as well as the option of beekeeping as a hobby.

Now Bee Catchers, a company based in Southern California, is offering up another solution. If you discover a hive, hold off on calling pest control and call a company like theirs instead. Rather than exterminating a hive, Bee Catchers specializes in alternative bee control and relocates these hives as opposed to killing them.

Approximately one-third of the global food supply relies on insect pollination of which bees, especially domesticated Western honey bees, are largely responsible for. Recognizing the important role honey bees play in human survival, Bee Catchers believe live bee removal and relocation is much more beneficial to the environment than extermination.

They also offer the following tips to help protect the bee population:

- Do not attempt to poke or spray a hive yourself with water or over-the-counter pesticides. Doing so many only irritate the hive and increase the likelihood of stings.

- Don't swat at bees as this simply makes them feel as though they are in danger and will make stings more likely. Most bees aren't naturally in attack mode and are simply smelling, exploring or searching for food.

- Bees can sense anxiety so if one is near you, try to stay calm and there is a high chance the bee will not bother you.

- Dark clothing attracts bees and sudden movements and threatening gestures scare them, all increasing your chances of being on the receiving end of a sting.

For more information about environmentally-friendly bee control, visit the official Bee Catchers website.

» PRWeb

Researchers are hopeful they may have discovered a reason for the declining population of various types of bees in North America. They believe one possible cause is that commercially bred bees who are kept for the purpose of pollinating crops grown in greenhouses may be escaping and partying with wild bees, spreading disease in the process.

Canadian researchers have observed commercial bumblebees flying in and out of vents at a greenhouse in Ontario and from this knowledge, drew a model to try and figure out if disease may be spread when these bees socialize with the wild species. The model predicted a gradual build-up of infection over the course of weeks and months which could rapidly spread in an epidemic that has the potential to infect almost all of the wild bees exposed. When scientists tested the wild bees almost everything appeared normal except for an intestinal parasite known to typically affect (and often kill) commercial bees, but rarely wild bees. Further testing showed that over half of the wild bee population near the greenhouses were infected. The further away from the greenhouses the researchers tested, the lower the levels of infection.

Over the past couple of years, bees have been dying off at an alarming rate, leaving scientists baffled as to what is causing the phenomenon. Various theories have been given for the declining population, but since the deaths are not limited to one type of bee, it has complicated the efforts to find and stop the problem. One fact scientists say is clear is that bees are essential to the food supply since they pollinate crops and without them, humans would likely starve to death. Hopefully these types of breakthroughs can prevent such a catastrophe.

» Reuters Environment

It turns out environmental bloggers aren't the only ones who appreciate a good, strong cup of coffee and the resulting caffeine rush. While researchers try to figure out exactly where and why bees are disappearing, the visitors to Bella Italia, a coffee shop in Exeter, may be able to give them a clue (hint: it's not Colony Collapse Disorder).

A couple of days ago approximately 15,000 honeybees needed their daily fix and showed up en masse at the café, then kicked around for a few hours discussing the latest hot topics of the day, including favorite books and movies. Meanwhile fellow patrons gawked at the gathering until eventually the Exeter City Council pest control team and a local beekeeper arrived to break up the party. Beekeeper John Easton claimed the bees "probably stopped for a breather while looking for a new home."

That's one theory, however a true coffee addict understands that sometimes the call of a large cappuccino is just too much too resist.

» Daily Mail

If scientists are still trying to determine where the world's population of honeybees is disappearing too, they may want to check a relatively nondescript home in North Carolina to start.

You'd think the loud hum would have clued in homeowner Mark Jones, but it was actually honey dripping down a wall that helped him discover his house had been overrun by a large population of bees. How large? Well when beekeepers showed up to remove the bees, they got more than they bargained for - a lot more. As in 60,000 of the buzzing creatures inhabiting one wall in Jones' home. The beekeepers began the arduous process of removing them from the home and keeping in mind the declining population of the insects, used vacuums to safely remove and relocate the hives. Approximately 1,000 bees are still calling the wall home, but are expected to eventually disperse since there is no hive or queen bee remaining. Despite the squeamish nature of the story, Jones is actually pretty relieved.

I'm glad that they weren't 60,000 mad bees, he said.

Watch the video report below for an idea of what Jones' home looked like as the bees were removed.

» CNN

By purchasing locally-made honey, you provide incentive for beekeepers and honey producers to continue with their trade (or maybe it's just a hobby), but there's also potentially something in it for you as well. Honey that is made locally near where you live can often boost your immune system against seasonal allergies. Why exactly is that?

The simplest explanation is that honeybees collect pollen from plants and flowers that are found in your region. When you consume honey that is grown in your environment, it contains local elements that will often act as an immune booster. If you are over-exposed to certain pollens, you can develop a serious allergy to them, but oddly enough, the small, manageable doses you'll receive in honey can have the opposite effect and protect you. It is likened to "undergoing a whole series of allergy immunology injections."

If you suffer from allergies, reap the health benefits of local honey by taking a teaspoon or two of it each day in the months leading up to pollen season.

The question as to just how local the honey should be is often asked and the simple answer is that the closer it is grown to where you live, the more likely it will be to contain what you need. For more information about how to find local honey, click here.

» Pioneer Thinking