Zach likes bees
banner
zachportman.bsky.social
Zach likes bees
@zachportman.bsky.social
Bee enthusiast and taxonomist
Reposted by Zach likes bees
Two days ago it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic.

The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.
Breaking news: The Justice Department has issued subpoenas for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as part of an investigation alleging that they are impeding federal law enforcement officers’ abilities to do their jobs in the state.
Justice Dept. launches criminal investigation of Minnesota governor
The Justice Department has issued subpoenas for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as part of an investigation into impeding law enforcement.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 16, 2026 at 11:46 PM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
Yes, immigration agents not only took Arnoldo's phone, the 10th grader had to use Find My Phone to locate it — in a vending machine for used electronics, close to an ICE detention center.

Read the full story here:
www.propublica.org/article/vide...
January 14, 2026 at 12:47 AM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
WSJ investigation: In the past 6 months ICE agents have fired at vehicles 13 times, leading to:

* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon

The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire

www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
Videos Show How ICE Vehicle Stops Can Escalate to Shootings
A WSJ visual investigation found that the Minneapolis ICE killing is one of 13 incidents where federal immigration agents have used deadly force against civilians in vehicles since July.
www.wsj.com
January 10, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
The woman killed by ICE was Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year old who was the mother of a 4-year old child whose father already died a few years ago.

The Star Tribune talked to her mother. www.startribune.com/she-was-an-a...
January 7, 2026 at 10:38 PM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
Female two-spotted longhorn bee
(Melissodes bimaculatus)

pollinating red & yellow dahlia flower
in August’s Chicago noonday sun.

#macroMonday #macro #photography #eastCoastKin #native #gardens #bugs #bees #art #flowers #macroPhotography #nature #red #yellow
January 5, 2026 at 5:03 AM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
In other Hymenoptera macro size comparison news:

~3/4" Sweat Bee so sweet and teeny...

...then there's the chalcid wasp following her...

#inverts #becurious
January 4, 2026 at 2:46 PM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
drunk on pollen .... enough is enough already!

Melissodes (I believe), Anza Borrego DSP, Oct 25
December 26, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
New Ant Lab video today about pincer wasps and a new research project. This one has some really cool, newly-filmed insect behavior in it! youtu.be/9osTBzQ0zbk
Spring-Loaded Claws on a Wasp – Parasitoid Pincer Wasps
YouTube video by Ant Lab
youtu.be
December 22, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
This gallery of almost all EU bee species high quality photos is quite impressive: pollinatoracademy.eu/images
Pollinator Academy
The Pollinator Academy is a learning platform with integrated taxonomic tools and information on European pollinators.
pollinatoracademy.eu
December 22, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
Si te equivocas de entrada puede que visites la casa de una Donacosa merlini (Lycosidae). Un hembra de Eucera rufa (Apidae) es arrastrada bajo la atenta mirada de 3 machos que no entienden nada y que a pasar de sus esfuerzos no pudieron salvarla. 🐝💔🕷️
Laguna del Ojillo (RBD)
@ebdonana.bsky.social
December 19, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
New study: backyard mosquito sprays lead to insecticide levels high enough to kill pollinators, and sprays travel easily into neighboring yards. stacksjournal.org/article/ande...
An initial assessment of risk to pollinators from mosquito control in residential settings - Stacks Journal
Peer-reviewed research - An initial assessment of risk to pollinators from mosquito control in residential settings
stacksjournal.org
December 18, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
“She has marks on her neck and wrist from where agents restrained her. Agents cut off her wedding ring and held her in leg shackles at Whipple Federal Building for about five hours.”

Her crime: witnessing ICE, from a distance.
Federal agents arrest citizen observer watching ICE detain neighbors on her north Minneapolis block
Susan Tincher, a 55-year-old American citizen, appears to be the first observer arrested by federal immigration enforcement officers since the agency launched an immigration surge in the Twin Cities l...
www.mprnews.org
December 9, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
Check out the latest publication from my MSc research with @nigeleraine.bsky.social where we surveyed bee and plant communities in rare TGP and savanna habitat and looked at what factors may contribute to their success 🔥🌼
New 📰| Wild bee biodiversity in tallgrass prairie and oak savanna habitat in southern Ontario 🐝https://ow.ly/Hcpf50XATTc

Explore how restoration and land management decisions can make a big difference for wild pollinators. Nigel Raine Janean Sharkey University of Guelph
December 8, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
Just to be clear: Minnesota will continue to be guided by science and medical expertise.

While Trump and RFK wage war on vaccines and decades of science, I took executive action to safeguard vaccine access in Minnesota and prioritize the health and safety of our children.
December 5, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
Ma’am, you can’t just sit there in people’s driveways, it’s not safe, even for royalty. [Alameda, CA 12-2-25] #bees #bumblebees #nativebees
December 2, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
Bicolored striped sweat bee
(Agapostemon virescens)
/ pulling hyssop flower

#agapostemon #beePhoto #bees #SweatBee #BeesAndFlowers #beePhotography
November 13, 2024 at 7:18 PM
So excited to see this paper out — determining bumblebee nesting preferences using standardized surveys led by Sami Dolan. We found 25 nests over two years in MN and WI and found that bumblebees prefer to nest in prairie and edge habitat rather than forests.

link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Prairie and edge habitats provide valuable nesting resources for bumble bees (Bombus) in the midwestern U.S - Apidologie
Bumble bees use three main habitats to complete their life cycle: foraging habitat, overwintering habitat, and nesting habitat. Overall, the majority of bumble bee research has focused on the foraging...
link.springer.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
I'm heading off to EntSoc and here's my take on navigating your first scientific conference. Hope to see lots of you there!

scienceforeveryone.science/getting-the-... #EntSoc25 🧪
November 7, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
BREAKING: JUSTICE DEPARTMENT EATS A LOSS IN 'SANDWICH GUY' CASE AS JURORS FIND DEFENDANT NOT GUILTY www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
Jury acquits D.C. 'sandwich guy' charged with chucking a sub at a federal agent
Sean Dunn faced single misdemeanor offense after federal grand jurors refused to indict him on the felony charge sought by prosecutors.
www.nbcnews.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
Ma’am, you can’t just wander the sidewalk like that. Most people pay no attention to where they’re stepping. [Foothill carpenter bee, Alameda, CA 11-4-25] #bees #nativebees
November 6, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
Can apple cider vinegar make you lose weight?

Probably not. My piece this week takes a look at a fascinating example of unreliable science, forensic metascience, and seriously problematic data.

gidmk.substack.com/p/apple-cide...
Apple Cider Vinegar For Weight Loss - A Study That May Never Have Happened At All
Some fascinating insights into the world of scientific integrity.
gidmk.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:45 AM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
Ever see a complete bee grooming routine up close? I’m not saying this Agapostemon subtilior female and I are heroes, but we are here to help. Enjoy this quality motion picture, complete with PG&E construction noises for that true California flavor. [Alameda, CA 10-27-25] #bees #nativebees
October 27, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
🎼 Tongue shadow, tongue shadow- 🎶 Watch this little male Zadontomerus carpenter bee perform an elaborate nectar-probing routine in a rock purslane flower. [Alameda, CA 10-21-25] #bees #nativebees
October 21, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
After 2024, pundits brushed off the Resistance as cringe. I submit: Yes, it was. And cringe is good. Cringe, in fact, will save democracy.
Resistance Is Cringe
But it’s also effective.
www.theatlantic.com
October 18, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Reposted by Zach likes bees
Very bizarre.
An investigation by @cuny.edu's expert panel found "evidence highly suggestive of deliberate scientific misconduct" - but the university concluded that Dr. Wang did not do misconduct.
#ScienceIntegrity
@charlespiller.bsky.social reports at Science.
October 16, 2025 at 10:39 PM