dududiaries 
When you think of bees, the first things that comes to mind are yellow and black stripes, a buzzing sound, and the possibility of getting a painful sting. Can you imagine bees without a sting? Actually, those do exist! Such bees are called meliponines or simply stingless bees. Worldwide, more than 600 species of stingless bees exist. … Read more
One of my favourite plants (after cacao that produces chocolate!) is the avocado. They are one of the most delicious and nutritious fruits around… Avocado trees are one of the many different crops that depend on wild insects pollinators. I recently spent some time in the Kerio Valley looking at the insects visiting the avocado … Read more
In honour of World Environment Day, here are a few amazing insects from the rainforest in Western Kenya to remind us of the incredible and wonderful creatures that we share this planet with… I’ve been travelling around Kenya for the past few weeks, and here are some of the strange and fascinating creatures I came … Read more
Dear All Many greetings. Am very pleased to share with you a book featuring and celebrating pollinator diversity in East Africa. You can download the book through link by clicking on the cover image below: To whet your appetite here’s a sneak preview of some of the pages from the book: You can … Read more
Dear All – greetings from the Turkana Basin Institute in Northern Kenya. This afternoon while I was working in my lab I heard a soft rustling noise coming from the waste-paper basket. At first I thought that yet another careless gecko had gotten itself trapped, but on closer inspection found a small scorpion hiding within. … Read more
Dear All I have been exploring the Kakamega Forest in Western Kenya over the last few days. The forest is sparkling with life after the heavy rains from earlier this month. It has been wonderful taking long quiet walks in the forest to look at insects and birds and ponder the meaning of life. Here … Read more
Dear All Greetings from the Kerio Valley in Northwestern Kenya. This beautiful valley, an extension of the magnificent Great Rift Valley, is one of my favorite places. It is a veritable paradise for bees and other insects that live in the valleys’ forests, acacia-woodlands and rugged escarpments. The Kerio Valley is also home to thousands … Read more
Dear All Today Kenya marks 50 years of independence… We have so much to celebrate as Kenya remains one of the most blessed places on the planet in terms of biodiversity. While there are many challenges facing conservation in this beautiful country of ours, one thing that I can’t emphasize enough is how inspiring it is … Read more
Dear All – Many greetings from Northern Kenya. Sharing some photos here from an encounter yesterday that make it worth being an entomologist. We have had some incredible rains up here in Turkana in northern Kenya. These have produced an outburst of life with lots of dormant insects waking up and furiously getting to work … Read more
Hello – I have been working on a series of posters showcasing and celebrating the diversity of East African bees as part of a book on bees that I am putting together. I recently completed a poster on the ‘Bees of Turkana’. One might think that Turkana as a hot, arid environment does not have … Read more