All About the Habits and Traits of Carpenter Bees

Carpenter bees dont exactly endear themselves to people. They excavate nests in wood decks, porches, and homes, and the males tend to  exhibit an unsettling aggressiveness. However, despite their bad behavior, carpenter bees are quite harmless and are actually excellent pollinators. Large carpenter bees (about 500 different species) belong to the genus Xylocopa. Interestingly, these insects inhabit every continent except Antarctica. Identifying Carpenter Bees Carpenter bees get their name from their woodworking skills. These solitary bees excavate nest tunnels in wood, especially in lumber that is bare and weathered. Over several years, the damage to wood can become quite extensive, as the bees expand old tunnels and excavate new ones. Carpenter bees often nest in decks, porches, and eaves, putting them in close proximity to people. Xylocopa bees look quite similar to bumblebees, so its easy to misidentify them. Look at the upper side of the bees abdomen to differentiate the two kinds of bees. While bumblebee abdomens are hairy, the top of a carpenter bees abdomen will be hairless, black, and shiny. Male carpenter bees will hover around nest entrances, chasing away intruders. They lack a sting, though, so just ignore their buzzing and aggressive flights around your head. Females do sting, but only if seriously provoked. Refrain from swatting at them, and you shouldnt have to worry about carpenter bees causing you harm. Carpenter Bee Classifications Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ArthropodaClass: InsectaOrder: HymenopteraFamily: ApidaeGenus: Xylocopa Diet and Life Cycle Like honey bees, carpenter bees feed on pollen and nectar. Female bees provision their larvae with food by placing a ball of pollen and regurgitated nectar in the brood cell. Its important to note that carpenter bees do not feed on wood at any time during their life cycle. Carpenter bees overwinter as adults, usually within vacant nest tunnels. As the weather warms in spring, the adults emerge and mate. Males die after mating, while females begin excavating new tunnels or expanding tunnels from previous years. She constructs brood cells for her offspring, provisions them with food, and then lays an egg in each chamber. Eggs hatch within a few days, and the young larvae feed on the cache left by the mother. Within a period of five to seven weeks, depending on environmental conditions, the bee pupates and reaches adulthood. The new adult generation emerges in late summer to feed on nectar before settling in for the winter. Special Adaptations and Defenses Though they are good pollinators of open-faced flowers, deeper flowers present a challenge for the large carpenter bees. To get to the sweet nectar, they will slit open the side of the flower, breaking into the nectary center and robbing the flower of its juices without providing any pollination services in exchange. Carpenter bees practice buzz pollination, an active method of collecting pollen grains. When it lands on a flower, the bee uses its thoracic muscles to produce sound waves that shake the pollen loose.

Nature vs Nurture Debate Free Essays

The Forever Debate Christine Nerren South University Online Outline: I. Nature: Definition: The traits we are born with through heredity from both of our parents. a. We will write a custom essay sample on Nature vs Nurture Debate or any similar topic only for you Order Now Appearance -eye color -hair color -skin tone -freckles or no freckles b. How we laugh c. Some personality traits -aggression -intelligence -possibly sexual orientation II. Nurture: Definition: The traits of which we are that are formed by our environment. a. Taught behavior b. Life experiences good or bad c. Sense of Humor d. Manners I believe that Nature and Nurture are both true. You cannot have one without the other. Yes, we inherit certain physical and personality traits from our parents but, I also think that we become who we are mostly by our environment and how we perceive the world around us. There are situations where nature takes over one’s life more than others when it comes to personality but, ultimately it comes down to nurture for most of us. I can say this from my own personal experiences. Let me explain†¦. My younger sister and I were removed from our biological home when we were very young. I was 14 months old and my sister 3 months of age. The state removed us due to neglect and abuse. We were placed into foster care at this time. My younger sister was treated well and I was continuously abused by my foster mother. We stayed in this home until I was 4 ? years old and she was 3 ? years old. We were then adopted into a wonderful family. As my sister was quiet and timid, she seemed to be adjusting and doing well. I on the other hand I had suffered tremendous abuse and acted out at every chance I got. With a lot of love, patience, and counseling I started to change in my personality. I became a very caring loving child who befriended the underdogs. My sister, on the other hand, seemed to snap.Even with all of the love, patience, and counseling she received she appeared to lose control out of the blue one day in the sixth grade. She was no longer that quiet timid little girl. She had become abusive, both emotionally and physically, started using drugs, and running away. She also started making false allegations toward our adopted parents. The only thing every counselor she went to and us could figure was that she had witnessed the abuse that I had suffered and locked it away and it lay dormant for years. She still has not dealt with all of what we went through and she is now 37 years old.My point is, the environment she witnessed at the most critical point in her life molded her into what she is today. She is constantly stuck in that period of time. I on the other hand, continued to grow and change in my environment. I became a person who can continue to change with my life situations and experiences. Most all of this is a product of our environment for my sister and me. I do think that my sister did inherit some of the personality traits of our biological parents, such as her addictive behavior and some of her mental issues. I am predisposed as well to these issues but, I have a stronger will to fight these things, which I believe is also a personality trait I inherited. So, in conclusion, my sister and I did inherit some traits from our biological parents but, ultimately we are a product of our environment. We are completely different although we were raised together. Our life experiences have made us who we are and where we are in our lives.References Nature vs Nuture: Are We Really Born That Way? By Kimberly Powell, About. com Guide com/cs/geneticgenealogy/a/nature_nurture.htm†http://genealogy. about. com/cs/geneticgenealogy/a/nature_nurture. htm How to cite Nature vs Nurture Debate, Papers

Information technology essay free essay sample

Communications is defined as the process of sending and receiving information from one person to another. Communications Technology is all the systems we use when we communicate, this technology helps us to communicate without the need to be face – to – face with each other. This includes telephone, radio, television, computers and mobile phones. Mobile phones and telephones can be defined as the process when two people are making a conversation over a phone away from each other, this method has become very popular nowadays, for example the new iPhone. Computers help us to communicate online, we use internet to socialise with our friends. Television is able to broadcast different programs and shows that we can watch. Radio keeps us up to date with everything happening around us, we can hear news through radio. My chosen topic of communications technology is computers. Computer is a device which is able to store, retrieve, process and change data and it is also widely used to go online. We will write a custom essay sample on Information technology essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page For a computer to work properly it needs hardware, software and input. A computer hardware includes all the physical features your computer has, in the inside or the outside of a computer. A software is anything that you install on your computer, it can be your internet explorer or your operating system. A computer cannot work on its own, this is when we provide data on the computer, this creates input, and then the computer provides us with output. There are five generations of computers, these have changed dramatically over time because of new technology invented. First generation computers were founded in 1940 and ended in 1956. These computers used vacuum tubes to run. They could fill the whole room and needed a lot of electricity, this created problems as these computers would heat up very easily. An example is ENIAC computer founded by John Presper Eckert and John W. Mauchly. Second generation computers (1956 1963) saw the introduction of transistors. Computers run faster because a transistor is a device that controls the heat in the computer. In 1964 Computers used integrated circuits that could hold thousands of transistors. Fourth generation computers started in 1971 are the ones we use today. Microprocessors were invented to store all the functions of a computer in a single chip. Also laptops were introduced which changed the way we use computers today. Fifth generation computers are still in development. We can already see some of  the fifth generation computer features, like voice recognition and cloud sharing. Some of the advantages of using a computer are: Saves money – Computers allowed us to communicate over a distance, as we don’t need to travel long distances just to make a conversation with someone. Another great way of communicating over a distance is using Skype, it lets you make calls anywhere in the world from your computer. Internet – You can access the World Wide Web via the internet. This allows you to keep up with your friends online through social networking sites like Facebook. Through internet you can also advertise online, this helps you create a new business idea or helps your existing business to develop more. Education Students have an advantage when using a computer, as they can easily type an essay, and make necessary changes without spoiling the essay. Microsoft Word has helped develop writing skills for students. Online courses are also available when using a computer. Disadvantages of using a computer: Addiction – People who tend to use computer too much have a risk of becoming addicted to it. This is mainly because people have access to Internet and they get exposed to different websites. There is an increased number of people getting addicted to social networking. Online games also are becoming very addictive, especially among children. Security – A computer can easily get a virus from any untrusted website or a hacker can get access to your personal information. Every computer should have an antivirus installed for protection against viruses. There are also a lot of security features installed already on our computer, like Firewall. Health problems – A big disadvantage is that your health worsens if you spend too much time on the computer. More and more people have computer vision syndrome, which makes your vision blurry. Your nervous system is also affected, and this results in brain not functioning properly. Communication Technology has a huge impact on both out personal, business and social life. Socialising with friends is made easier because of the technology invented. You can access any website online. Also technology has a big impact on our relationships, this has created a lot of problems because some people don’t realise how much they use a computer, this results in computer addiction and we no longer have time to meet our friends. We spend more time on Facebook than  actually talking to someone face to face. At work we use technology all the time, this helps us to get everything done on time, but there is also more stress due to increases work load when using a computer. There are a lot of new job opportunities available because of technology, we are able to make international business calls and advertise our products online. The downside for technology at work is that we become more distracted. Imagine if you are having a conversation with your boss and suddenly your phone is ringing. There is also legislation related to communications technology, Data Protection Act 1988 states that you have a right to store, change or access any personal data stored on the computer. This information should be kept private. This law also states that any information you give out to someone should be correct, you cannot provide false information about yourself. Another important legislation relating to communications technology is health and safety at work. Every business should ensure that everyone has a safe area to work at. Technology needs to be updated to make sure that accidents don’t happen, for example if your computer is connected to a faulty electricity it can cause your computer to blow up. Copyright Act 2000 was introduced to help protect your information. When you are copying someone else’s work and passing it on as your own you are committing plagiarism. You are exposed to copyright when you publish something online as a lot of people may have access to this information.

Balkans essays

Balkans essays The conflict in the Balkans is interesting because for years, reporters and politicians have touted it as being the result of ancient ethnic hatred but that isnt the case. This class has taught me, if nothing else, that the people of this region lived together peacefully for centuries and any conflicts that have arose among people were based not on ethnic origin but other things like class, ruling party, and so on. In fact, any problems that have arose in the former Yugoslavia have more to do with the issues raised by nationalism that developed during World War II and not centuries of three different peoples living together. Additionally, I am going to pause every so often to show that at each of the three distinct points of the conflict, the international community and the United States had it within their power to stop the violence. The three distinct phases are Kosovo, secession, and Bosnia and at each point, the lack of action or overreaction of the international community failed to solve the problems that these institutions had within their power to resolve. The first phase of Yugoslavian disintegration can be attributed to the conditions of the people living in Kosovo, an autonomous province of Yugoslavia. In 1981, the socioeconomic conditions in Kosovo were far worse than those in the other republics of Yugoslavia. Poverty was rampant and unemployment was around twenty percent as compared to about two percent in Slovenia that same year. The standard of living in Kosovo was deplorable and whatever aid that was given to the province by the federal government was mismanaged (Samary, 65). Another significant problem with this particular province was that while the Serbs claimed the province as the Cradle of Serbian Empire because of a legendary battle and defeat that happened at Kosovo in 1389, the Albanians constituted approximately eighty percent of the population of Kosovo. In reality, Kosovo cou...

Free sample - Intangible Resources and Management Authority in Organizations. translation missing

Intangible Resources and Management Authority in Organizations. Intangible Resources and Management Authority in OrganizationsThe sphere of business is very diverse and every company tries to do its best in order to be the fist in the completive market and preserve its positions. Good presentation and work of the company depends upon its management that performs different functions. The main function of the management is organizing process of work correctly, using the resources of the company in the best possible way. From the one hand it sounds very easy to do, but on the other hand this task is not so easy to do. So, the main obligation of the management of every company is a rational utilization of the company’s assets and resources, tangible as well as intangible. There is a mistaken idea that intangible assets are not very important as they do not play such important role in the successful existence of the company. It is a common mistake of many managerial teams that do not pay enough attention to the intangible resources. According t o Berkeley-Thomas (2003, p. 25), the companies have to genuinely consider a significance of identical or greater effect of such factors as consumer satisfaction, process effectiveness and improvement when coming to a realizing of performance realities. These factors will be additional to an organization’s realizing of financial figures, helping to better understand the significance of otherwise potentially misleading or unfortunate numbers. Most companies do not pay enough attention to the intangible assets that is why the general performance of the company suffers. In this case, experienced market leaders insist on considering the intangible assets greatly, as they are half of a company’s success (Grey, 2009, p. 43). In the findings, the investigation demonstrated that intangible assets, comprising consumer list, brand name,   reputation of the company, and its location are considerably chief elements; in the meantime, the   size of the organization is taken into account, but not that significant. In general, the essence of the intangible resources is quite broad, as it comprises many notions. Intangible assets can also include patents, copyrights, franchise and government licenses, goodwill, and other issues that lack physical matter but give long-standing advantages to the company. Companies should pay attention to the intangible assets as much as they do it on depreciable and natural resources. The charge of intangible resources is methodically allocated to the costs during the asset's helpful life or legal life, whichever is shorter, and this life is never permitted to exceed forty years. The procedure of allocating the value of intangible resources to expense is called amortization, and organizations almost always use the straight-line way to amortize their intangible resources. In order to understand more completely the essence intangible resources that management can draw upon, it is necessary to describe briefly some of them to see how useful they can be for the management of the company to evaluate the level of its performance and success.   One of the first and the most important intangible resources is the brand name. Needless to say, that brand name and recognition is very important for every company as it is the first step for the company’s success. Brand name should be as recognizable as possible in order to make the company well known. Brand recognition is, probably, main form of intangibles. Think about the many name brand organizations and it will quickly be realized the power of intangible assets. Software programs used by the organizations in order to produce or plan their product are one more brilliant example of intangible resources. Reputation of the company is rightfully regarded as another very important intangible resource. It is understood that every company strives for having excellent reputation and be second to none in the market. The question of reputation is necessary to draw upon by the management. For instance, the company, having good reputation as a reliable partner and manufacturer of the qualitative products will likely have more customers as the company, having lower reputation even if its production is as qualitative. So, evaluating the performance criteria of the company and speaking about the work of its management, we can say that reputation of the company is very significant anyway. One more intangible asset considered as important one is goodwill. Goodwill equals the quantity paid to obtain a company in excess of its net assets at reasonable market value. The excess payment may be consequence from the price of the organization’s reputation, setting, consumer list and management team. Goodwill can be recorded only after the purchase of the organization takes as such a transaction provides a purpose measure of goodwill as recognized by the customer. The worth of goodwill is considered by first subtracting the purchased liabilities of the organization from the fair market price of its assets and then subtracting this consequence from the purchase price of the organization. So, goodwill can not be seen at once, it can be evaluated only when the company starts working. Unfortunately, members of the management team and the business board room in a great number of companies all over the world nowadays fail to understand the effect and importance of their intang ibles on the bottom line as the intangible resources are not reflected on a balance sheet. People are in habit to believe stable and proved facts that can be seen visually on the paper and from different documents, that is why, intangible assets are not so popular management strategy because they are not provided in writing.   In conditions of modern current economy a lot of companies can make sure their survivability and sustainability into the post depression era if they are able learn to ruin the brick and mortar attitude that has tainted corporate America. According to the statistics, seventy-five percent of value of any company can be traced to intangible resources (Ramu, 2000, p. 15). One main cause for mistake is a lack of understanding and the incapability of upper management to think outside the frames. The representatives of the management within a company having no ability to think outside the frames have the complexity in demonstrating new ideas to upper management in the usage of intangible resources influence. So why intangible resources are so significant for the company are so important to legitimize management authority? First of all, strong brands effect on consumers’ decision-making processes, as well as making sure that premium prices may be charged. This is mainly true in many businesses connected with consumers. At their best, they symbolize an assurance of excellence and quality and sometimes, when it deals with luxury brands, customers even gain social status from the brand. It can also maintain the fast development of new successful markets. For instance, Tesco, one of the UK’s primary retailers, succeed in penetrating financial services. Surely, the financial benefit of the company arises from intangible resources such as brands and consumer relationships. Intangible resources, therefore, provide with a potential competitive benefit, but being the resources they obviously require specialist management and excellent communication skills. Management’s capabil ity to bring its strategy is extremely dependent on its consumer relationships, brands and performance of main employees – all of which are also intangible resources for accounting purposes. The significance of these factors is obviously very important to a company’s productivity and to the sustainability of future performance of the company. So it will be more correctly to ask how it is possible to improve the management of these resources, rather than ask why it is so important. One more question of the paper that should be discussed is in what way the companies manage their intangible resources in modern market? Important management is concentrated on the brands to guarantee that the brand is exemplified in every sphere of the company’s outside and interior behaviors (Kaplan and Norton, 2004, p. 24). Brands are continually adapted and revitalized to act in response with variable consumer trends and to be in front of the competition, thus increasing their importance and value. But it is often hard to see financial information about the brand being examined and managed. For instance, the amount of money invested in a brand development is not constantly available.   Consumer relationships comprise one more critical intangible resource for a great number of companies. And, just as in the case with brands, there is a shortage of information about main consumers – including the duration of the relationship, the limits and the charge of supporting main relationships. This is particularly relevant to retailers and the production of customer loyalty card schemes points out the significance these organizations attach to this resource. In the modern market retailers now have better understanding of the desires and needs of their consumers. This information can be further translated into charge which could then be monitored and managed on the continuing basis. The financial result of changes to the way in which consumers are managed could then be frequently reported to the board and eventually to external parties. Everything mentioned above proves once again that intangible resources are extremely necessary to pay attention to and draw upon by the management. Although there is a widespread opinion that intangible resources are very significant to the future prosperity of any company, still there is a dilemma concerning their ongoing management as well as communicating their value. The fact that it can be rather hard to get the information required to administer and enhance the intangible resources, together with the understanding of this information, has held a lot of companies back. Nevertheless, investors, analysts and stakeholders insist on the importance of intangible resources, from the point of view of their usage and investigating (Grey and Willmott, 2005, p. 45). They come to realize, that there is a significant information gap concerning rational usage and studying of the intangible resources. That is why, the companies should move towards enhanced intangible asset management and improve systems of their usage.   Intangible resources are important for every company despite its size and sphere of business. Not only is there a co nvincing financial motive for more careful intangible resources management process, the tax and accounting systems are requiring that numbers are billed to intangible resources as part of accounting for attainments. The value of intangible resources is compulsory to be monitored on the constant basis, as it will help the company to improve its performance. Every company has its own intangible resources needed to pay attention to and it is the task of the management to see what asset requires attention and how it van be used to give maximum profits. Reference List Berkeley-Thomas A. (2003) Controversies in Management. London: Routledge. Grey C. (2009) Studying Organizations. ( 2nd ed.) London: Sage. Grey C. and Willmott H. (eds) (2005) Critical Management Studies: A Reader. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kaplan, R. and Norton, K. ( 2004) Strategy Maps: Converting Intangible Assets into Tangible Outcomes. New York: Harvard Business Press Ramu, S. (2000) International Licensing: Managing Intangible Resources (Response Books). London: Sage Publications Pvt. Ltd

Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Policy - Essay Example Hence, the department has decided to come up with a program whose main aim is to educate members of the public on the importance of food safety. This program fits in the mission of my department in a number of ways. The main goal of my department is to protect all consumers who purchase fresh of processed farm produce in various outlets in the country. Hence, providing them with all relevant information on what they are supposed to do or check while making their purchases is very important. Furthermore, my department ensures that all products in the market are inspected and labeled before being offered for sale (Lancet 1). In relation to this, food borne illnesses cases have greatly increased in this 21st century (Food Drug and Administration 1). Therefore, my department has come up with various policies that aim at combating this threat. Firstly, it is the role of the agriculture department to ensure that consumers of both fresh and processed farm produce are protected. This is the reason why my department ensures that all products are inspected and labeled. Secondly, the department is also supposed to play the role of educating all consumers on the importance of food safety in their households. From a recent study, most households are affected by food borne illness. Most of them are not ignorant, but they lack they required information on what they are supposed to do or check when making their purchases. Hence, creating awareness on this issue will help to combat this threat. This new program aims at creating awareness in all states on issues related to food safety. The department plays it role by ensuring that all products offered for sale are inspected and labeled properly. However, most consumers lack information on issues that come up with issues of food poisoning. Therefore, my department wants to enhance public education as well as outreach

Marketing Plan First Draft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing Plan First Draft - Essay Example It is also helpful to have a clear idea of who the potential competitors might be and what types of products they might be offering currently or be introducing in the near future. The discovery of these elements is the purpose of this marketing report for a new mud-pie making machine called the Monster Mud Machine. The Monster Mud Machine is the latest technology in backyard warfare for young and old alike. Forget about spending hours in preparation attempting to get just the right combination of dirt and water to make the ultimate in mud bombs. This machine will do all the work from the safety of the home bunker or backyard. Just add the type of dirt immediately available, set the dial, add water and wait for the mud bombs to emerge. The mud machine will work with loose sand, standard dirt and even ready-made mud in case the ground has already been saturated due to earlier mud or water wars. Should things become bogged down, the machine can be helped along with the aid of a fancy crank which provides a more integrated appeal to the process. The machine itself is not designed to be carried about as a form of hand to hand combat material, but is instead intended to be available for the creation of ‘weaponry’ from the individual home base of the backyard warrior. From the outside, the unit looks very much like an elaborate unevenly divided box. On the smaller side is an enclosed container with a spout on the top to be used as a water reservoir. The larger side has a funnel-shaped opening leading to the interior intended to assist with the loading of dirt, sand, or mud into the container. Gravity is the primary driver of the machine as the mud and water are naturally pulled to the bottom of the tanks where it is funneled into a constricted tube the roundness of the finished mud bombs. A hand-crank at one side of the dirt container can be used to stir the materials and keep them moving and provides the user with a sense of involvement – ‘like the