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TIL honeybees used in almond groves often die of pesticides, lack of biodiversity, arousal from dormancy early. To mitigate, growers split hives, put mail-order queens in new hives, feed bees fake pollen. The "Bee Better" program puts diverse flora in almond groves as natural pest control/bee food.

Read more theguardian.com

via reddit.com

R10w TIL that 18th Century Norwegian swashbuckler Peter Tordenskjold once ran out of ammo during a sea battle so he sent his enemy a letter thanking him for “a fine duel” and asking him to send more ammo so they could carry on. The two crews then toasted each other’s health and went their separate ways.
9YamD TIL that the Taco Bell Chihuahua, Gidget, went on to play Bruiser's mom in Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde
PYZOO TIL in 1795, the Spanish crown institutionalized the 'purchase of whiteness' through a decree called the 'gracias al sacar'. In the Spanish empire, wealthy mixed race people could now pay for a legal declaration that 'converted them' to white in order to conduct business freely and marry well.
PYnEL TIL Whitney Houston died in suite 434 of the Beverly Hilton hotel. After a reported stream of insensitive guests who partied in the room “like Whitney did” and even snapped pictures of themselves lying in the bath where it happened, the hotel removed the room
ADoXa TIL the famous Cristal Champagne was made by Alexander II Tsar of Russia. He feared assassination so he ordered the bottles to be made clear instead of regular dark green so that he could see the bubbles and prevent an explosive being hidden inside.