Bees: Not Just For Honey

You might not think of insects when you think about animal communication, but as groups and individuals, they have purposes in our world and feelings, too.  (If you want to read about one conversation I had with a very urban fly, check out pages 69-70 in Dawn Baumann Brunke's Animal Voices, Animal Guides, a wonderful book about about animal communication and how to try it yourself.)

Bees, for example, play an extremely important part in our environment and lives.  Most people know that bees make honey and pollinate flowers, but they may not realize that pollination is what allows many fruits and vegetables to grow.  Without bees, the world's food supply would be in big trouble.

However, you may have heard over the last few years that many bees have been suffering from a syndrome called colony collapse disorder.  According to the Natural Resource Defense Council, researchers believe that  over a third of all bee colonies in the United States alone may have fallen to this disorder, wherein bees die off or disappear en masse.  In fact, the problem has possibly affected billions of bees worldwide.

Update: Missing Dog Found!

Great news! My sister in law posted the following update today:

 Bayley was found this morning in a concrete culvert at the entrance of the neighborhood that the people who adopted her lived in. She was found by a fantastic couple who are also animal lovers. They worked for 30 minutes to get her out and then took her to an animal emergency hospital. She had been attacked by an animal and had puncture wounds all over her body plus multiple insect bites. Bayley had been surviving on bugs. The doctor was amazed at how many bugs came out of her. We brought her home and even though she is in a lot of pain, she is her same old puppy self. She wanted to play with the other dogs right away. I thank God for all the prayers that were put up for Bayley. Out of this horrible ordeal, we have made friends with two amazing couples who we plan on keeping in touch with. Once again, thank you to everyone for spreading the word and for the prayers.

And thank you from me to everyone who read about Bayley and sent their prayers, good thoughts and energy. I know we all wish her a speedy recovery and happy healing from her trauma.

Dog Missing In Storm Hit Area In Texas

Hello, friends.  My lovely sister-in-law Sherry, a great animal lover and dog rescuer, has reported that a dog she rescued and got adopted out has now gone missing.  According to her post:

This is Bayley the feral puppy we rescued 2 months ago. She was adopted Sat. and they lost her yesterday in a rural part of Forney. She was lost off of FM740 between Cool River Dr. and Travis Ranch Blvd. She is microchipped and is wearing her tags on a bright pink collar. We will be circulating flyers today. Please keep us and Bayley in your prayers. The area is full of coyotes and snakes. If you have any animal contacts, please share.

The area Bayley was in was hit by large hail and, in some places, tornadoes right around when she went missing.  So please, if you or anyone you know lives or has contacts near Forney, TX (about 15-20 miles east of Dallas, see map,) please keep an eye out for Bayley.  If you have any information, please send me an email at info@animaltalker.com.  I will be checking for updates, and if you include your phone number I will give you a call.

Many thanks, and please think good thoughts for Bayley!