Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, March 9, 2019

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Mountain View News Saturday, March 9, 2019 

WALKING SIERRA MADRE by Deanne Davis

KATIE Tse..........This and That


SIERRA HONEY COMPANY

“A bee is an exquisite chemist.” Royal Beekeeper to 
Charles II

“Bees underline the reality that we are more, not less, 
dependent on nature’s services in a world of close 
to seven billion people.” Achim Steiner, UN Under-
Secretary General

“If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, 
then man would have only four years of life left. No 
more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no 
more animals, no more man.”

Albert Einstein

This is one of those things that most of us seldom 
think about, that we need bees! I’m sure you’ve 
noticed that we have wonderful cactus plants here and 
there in Sierra Madre (take a look at them on North 
Baldwin up close to the hills) that cover themselves 
with blossoms which attract bees by the score. We are 
always glad to see this happening. As these little guys 
gather pollen and nectar for their own survival, they 
pollinate crops such as apples, cranberries, melons 
and broccoli. Some crops, including blueberries and 
cherries, are 90-percent dependent on honey bee 
pollination. One crop, almonds, depends entirely on 
the honey bee for pollination at bloom time. You may 
not be aware of this but California produces 82% of 
the globe’s almonds, on 800,000 acres of almond trees 
across a 400-mile stretch from northern Tehama 
County – between Sacramento and the Oregon border 
– to southern Kern County. The picture shows you 
some of Mark’s bee hives among the almond trees, 
doing their job.

So how does this happen? Does a gang of bees just 
decide to go up Interstate 5 and spend February in 
Fresno pollinating almond trees? No, friends and 
neighbors, there are professional bee wranglers, like 
Mark Lerenzo Llamanoff, who commercially raise, 
and transport their hives from place to place, crop 
to crop. From February to mid-March, Mark and his 
hives are busy ensuring that the almond and cherry 
crops will be plentiful. He’s leaving hives in Fillmore, 
Ventura, Santa Barbara. Then it’s Carpinteria for 
avocadoes, oranges in Ventura. Mark’s 800 hives are 
busy and necessary.

We’ve all heard about the “killer bees,” a hybrid of 
the western honey bee species produced by cross-
breeding of the East African lowland honey bee with 
various European honey bees, such as the Italian 
honey bee, which is a gentle bee. The Africanized 
honey bee was first introduced in Brazil in 1956 in an 
effort to increase honey production but, talk about 
horror films, 26 swarms escaped in 1957 and these 
guys spread throughout South America and arrived in 
North America in 1958. Just so you’ll understand this 
species, the Africanized bees are much more defensive 
than other varieties and react to little disturbances 
faster than the European honey bees. They can 
chase a person a quarter of a mile and they’ve killed 
about 1,000 humans with victims receiving ten times 
more stings than from the European honey bees. 
I asked Mark about these bees and he doesn’t allow 
them anywhere near his hives. At the first sign of 
aggressive or attack behavior, the queen of that hive is 
exterminated. Mark does collect wild swarms but his 
hives contain only gentle bees. 

Mark’s website will tell you all you need to know 
about renting a hive. He and his team of beekeepers 
will help you learn the joy and satisfaction of bee 
keeping. He got his Dad involved by giving him a hive 
as a Christmas present and then giving his Mom a 
pollination kit. Neat, huh! 

But what about the honey, you’re asking. The way your 
bee hive works is the bottom is the breeding chamber 
where the queen lives and the top is where the honey 
production takes place. The flavor of your honey will 
depend upon where it is and what pollen and nectar 
your bees are feasting upon. Talking with Mark 
about his experiences with bees, it was obvious that 
he loves what he does and feels it’s a very rewarding 
experience. He’s got some great stories about the 
2016 bee hive heists and the bee mafia, too. If you’re 
interested in a bee hive of your very own, or maybe 
just some amazing honey, go to: sierrahoney.com or 
ask questions at info@sierrahoney.com 

Honey makes an appearance in beer from time to 
time, too; and, speaking of beer, RT Rogers Brewing 
Company right here in Sierra Madre is hosting their 
first anniversary celebration today, March 9th, from 
noon to 6 p.m. There will be live music, food, beer, it’s 
family friendly and you’ll enjoy a wonderful afternoon 
in their beautiful garden or taproom. They’re at 38 
W. Montecito. Walking Sierra Madre has reported 
on RT Rogers progress from a hole in the ground to a 
beautiful place to visit. Congratulations, guys!

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis – check 
out

Noah & The Unicorns...or maybe The Vuillaume 
Violin

Both available there, along with other goodies!

Star of Wonder the CD is now on TuneCore! Take a 
look!

Blog: www.authordeanne.com

Follow me on Twitter, too! https://twitter.com/@
playwrightdd

BRAIN FIZZLES EPISODE 2: TEACHING OCTOPI

 Has it been a fizzly 
week for you? It has 
for me. Sometimes I 
have insomnia. It used 
to upset me, but now 
I’ve come to a resigned 
acceptance of it. Thank 
God it doesn’t happen 
every night! I had chronic insomnia for a 
while, and it’s a killer. That’s been the topic of 
more than one of my articles down through 
the years.

 Recently during a minor case of insomnia 
I started to imagine what it would be like to 
have an octopus as a pet. They’re supposed 
to be one of the smartest, if not the smartest, 
soft-bodied animals. Of course now that I’m 
in my 30’s I think I qualify as soft-bodied, as 
well. So depressing...

 Anyway, what would it be like to have a 
pet octopus? First off, I’d call him Nigel. Or 
maybe Godfrey. Or Laverne or Maureen if it 
were a girl. I don’t know how you tell.

 Optimally, I’d have a huge, beautiful, 
tropical tank for Nigel. With mood lighting. 
You gotta’ have mood lighting. Optimally as 
well, I’d have a maid to clean the thing. A maid who was as dedicated to Nigel’s well being as I was.

 Since octopi are so smart, no doubt Nigel would like critical thinking games and puzzles. Like 
“complete the shape sequence to retrieve the key to open the door to get the bay shrimp.” Yeah, that’d 
be a good one.

 But it wouldn’t all just be fun and games for Nigel. No, any octopus of mine is going to school! 
First I’d teach him to match identical objects and pictures. Like he’d have two water-proof pictures, 
I’d hold up one of my own set against the glass, and he’d have to find the corresponding picture. Of 
course all this is reinforced with bay shrimp or some other motivating reward. Unless Nigel just 
enjoyed learning for the fun of it. That’s a possibility, too.

 From there we’d build up to a field of, say, six pictures. Then maybe we’d work on memory for a 
sequence. Like I’d hold up the picture of a cat, apple, and house, and he’d have to select those same 
things in the right order.

 Eventually we’d move on to reading basic sight words. Not the Gettysburg Address or anything, 
just your simple consonant-vowel-consonant arrangements, like “cat,” “bag,” and “fun.” Hopefully I’d 
find a way to make it functional for Nigel. 

 “Nigel, aren’t you glad I don’t have a CAT?”

 “Look, here’s a BAG of bay shrimp!”

 “Nigel, isn’t this FUN?”

 Because you can’t just go around teaching random things without infusing learning with purpose. 
It’s gotta’ have a context. I don’t know what visual I’d use for “fun.” Maybe a smiling octopus.

 Ultimately Nigel would become quite literate, and the two of us would develop an elaborate 
communication system. No doubt he’d become very witty and articulate by that time, and the two of 
us would engage in deep conversations on the human condition. Or the octopi condition, in Nigel’s 
case.

 Anyway, that’s the kind of stuff I find myself thinking about when I can’t sleep...


SIERRA MADRE POLICE BLOTTER

February 24, to March 3, 2019 = During this period, 
the Sierra Madre Police Department responded to approximately 
272 day and night time calls for service. 

Monday, February 25 
At about 4:00PM, officers responded to the 400 
block of Fairview Terrace regarding a possible 
burglary in progress. Upon arrival, officers 
detained a subject. After further investigation, 
it was discovered that the subject had no legal 
standing at the residence and had damaged a 
door while inside the residence. The subject 
was arrested for burglary, vandalism and for 
criminal trespass. The subject was medically 
cleared at a local hospital then transported to 
Los Angeles County Jail where he was released 
to the on-duty jail staff. Case to DA’s office 

Wednesday, February 27 
A vehicle was stopped for a vehicle code violation 
at about 12:10AM on Grandview at Grove 
St. The driver was found to be under the influence 
of marijuana and impaired. The driver was 
arrested, transported to the Pasadena Jail for 
booking. Case to Pasadena DA’s office 
11:11AM 
A resident reported that on February 13, 2019, 
between 11:14AM and 4:22PM, unknown 
suspect(s) removed a mail delivery package 
containing the victim’s property from outside 
the front door of his residence. 
Thursday, February 28 
A hit and run traffic collision was reported to 
have occurred at about 2:26PM in 00 block of 
W. Highland Ave. Damaged was the side view 
mirror on the driver’s side of the vehicle. 

Friday, March 1 
At about 12:30PM, a grand theft occurred in the 
500 block of Michillinda Way. The suspect took 
a chainsaw and two hedge trimmers that were 
placed next to the victim's truck. The suspect 
placed the items inside his vehicle and fled the 
scene. Case to Detectives 

Sunday, March 3 
An electric blue Audi SQ5 was stolen from the 
driveway of a residence in the 2000 block of 
Liliano Dr. The suspect(s) drove over the grass 
in the front yard to get the vehicle out of the 
driveway. An area check came up unsuccessful 
for the vehicle. Case to Detectives

HUCK FINN FISHING DERBY

On your marks…..GET SET…….FISH! Sign-ups will begin Monday, February 25th at 7:30am in 
City Hall for the Huck Finn Campout and Fishing Derby! Signed waivers are required for this event. 

 

The waivers are available on the City of Sierra Madre website at www.cityofsierramadre.com or at 
City Hall and the Library. Come early and get the site you want to so you can be camping where you 
prefer on Friday, March 29th and fishing in your favorite spot on Saturday, March 30th.

 

We cannot wait to bait, hook and weigh those fish to see who brings home the biggest trout of them 
all.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com