3
Boars Ruining Stinky Cheese M
unster cheese is a soft cheese famous for its strong (some say terrible) smell. The cheese is traditionally made by rubbing it in a brine (salty liquid) which helps grow bacteria. This process prevents mold but also provides the powerful aroma and flavor. The wheels of cheese are washed and brushed daily, and allowed to mature. In the olden days, the cheese was matured in damp cellars. Experts say that the
The longest lasting light bulb in existence is now estimated to be 123 years old. It’s not quite glowing strong, but this hand-blown, carbon- lament, 60-watt bulb emits a continuous dim light. After all these years it has earned a place in The Guinness Book of World Records . It’s known as“The Centennial Bulb”and it has been moved a few times but is now looked after by the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department in California. In 2013, it was reported that the light had gone out, but an electrician diagnosed a faulty power supply, xed the problem, and the light came back on. Believe it or not, you can check on the current status of the light bulb by watching it in real time at the Light Bulb Cam: centennialbulb.org .
best Munster cheese is made from pastures in the Vosges Mountains in eastern France that have been mowed for midsummer hay. Strict rules apply to the making of Munster
dug up about 60% of these pastures on 43 farms. The Munster cheese production is threat- ened because the damage to pasture land means grass cannot grow and is often contaminated by wild boar droppings. The quality of the cow’s milk in the area has
cheese. The ingredients must come from local farms in the area, but local boars have a different idea. Wild boars forage for acorns, under- ground grubs and roots. And they have
suffered so much that the local farmers are asking for hunters to come and help to reduce the wild boar population.
World’s Biggest Bee Rediscovered
The world’s biggest bee disappeared from sight almost 40 years ago. It was thought to be lost forever, as is the case of so many insects becoming extinct in recent years. But in January 2019, an expedition into the forests of Indonesia, discovered a specimen of Wallace’s giant bee. Natural history photographer, Clay Bolt, was part of a team that discovered the bee. Its nest was carved into an active termite mound in a tree on
one of the North Molucca islands. Bolt describes the bee as“breathtaking,”with a length of about one-and-a-half inches, (the size of a thumb) and a wingspan of approximately two-and-a-half inches. It has immense jaws like a stag beetle, which it uses to help build its nest and make it waterproof to keep out termites. The discovery is encouraging for scientists, who thought Wallace’s giant bee to be a lost species.
© Vicki Whiting June 2024
familyresourcegroupinc.com
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator