Category Archives: Bee Colony Collapse
Category "Bee Colony Collapse"
How Gut Bacteria Improves Honeybee Health
By Manuka HoneyBee Colony Collapse Honey BeesLeave a comment
Honeybees are fortunately more than just a pollinating species with declining population numbers throughout the world. They are also some of the more fascinating insects—nay, animals in general—that can be found in nature today, with their eusocial behavior and their ability as fully-realized colonies to create legitimate superorganisms in the form of hives being among…
Michigan Declares Itself Home to 465 Species of Bees
After assembling the first-ever bee census in the state, it was determined that Michigan is the home of around 465 species of bees, and with this information, scientists will hopefully gain helpful data for preserving the essential pollinating insects. Such a high number may be surprising to most since people usually don't even know the…
Hobbyist Beekeepers Save Hives in Virginia
Recent weeks allowed several employees with Virginia's transportation department to flex their beekeeping skills at work by saving approximately 120,000 honeybees in Amelia and Powhatan counties, allowing the bees to carry on and pollinate as they see fit. While removing dangerous, leaning trees within Powhatan County, a VDOT crew discovered a honeybee hive inside a…
Research Saying Properly Used Neonics Not Harmful
According researchers from the University of Guelph, their new studies have shown that three neonicotinoid pesticides (neonics) that are used most for flowering crops, despite the growing controversy around them, pose no danger to honeybee populations when used properly for seed treatments. Considering there are governments around the world seeking to ban the manufacture, distribution,…
Gentle Killer Honeybees – Just What Farmers Ordered
In 1958, an assembly of African killer honeybees escaped from a Brazilian breeding program and made their way to the island of Puerto Rico in 1994, likely by ship. These notably aggressive bees ousted a majority of the docile European species that already lived there, but the population eventually evened out, producing colonies of gentle…
Pesticides Could Mean Less Genetic Diversity in Bees
In 2006, the arrival of the unexplainable, unexpected colony collapse disorder spooked enough individuals in the United States and beyond into taking notice of the plight of honey bees and various other pollinators, such as monarch butterflies, hummingbirds, and native wild bee species. While some debated the veracity of one specific cause being the reason…
Scientist Reports Key Findings in Honeybee Antiviral Defenses
Dr. Laura Brutscher, a honeybee researcher with a doctorate in immunology and microbiology, recently published a study in the journal Scientific Reports detailing the mechanisms honey bees use in order to fight viruses. According to Brutscher, "This project has taken a lot of patience, time, and perseverance, so it's personally validating to know that my…
Veteran Beekeepers to Teach Rookies the Ropes
By Manuka HoneyBee Colony Collapse Honey Bees Honey IndustryLeave a comment
While there has been an influx of beekeepers joining the fray to both help honeybees and make a living selling honey and other bee products, it's safe to say that the majority of beekeepers in the industry are in their 60s or 70s. This begs the question of who's going to take up the mantle…
A Case of Honeybee Classical Conditioning
When people have headaches or feel sick, they tend to view the world differently to a degree, often developing what is called a "cognitive bias" in how they make decisions. In this instance, a person's cognitive bias, defined as a systematic error in thought affecting the judgments and decisions people make, could lead them to…
Massachusetts College Testing for Hive Viruses
As we begin transitioning from warmer weather and into winter temperatures, known to be less than friendly when it comes to honeybees and their numbers, concerns from beekeepers about their colonies' chances of survival are greater than ever. Out in Amherst, Massachusetts, several bee experts from the University of Massachusetts are contributing to the efforts…
Scientists Use Pheromone to Control Honeybee Predator
For the past ten years, Asian hornets, which are predatory insects that currently have widespread, expanding populations, have effectively invaded sections of both Europe and the Korean Peninsula. This particular type of hornet, or Vespa velutina as its scientific name designates, has been mounting quite the reputation, specifically as a rapidly proliferating species that preys…
Residue from Pesticides Found in Honey Worldwide
By Manuka HoneyBee Colony Collapse Honey Honey NewsLeave a comment
As many are probably aware, pesticides, specifically the commonly used class called neonicotinoids, have been named as a likely primary cause of the noted decline of honeybee populations throughout various parts of the world. While some countries have begun making efforts to limit the use of neonicotinoids, with some even outright seeking to ban their…
Maltese Honeybees Faced Decimation and Survived
Just as honeybees face considerable obstacles here in the U.S., bee populations all over the world, even those that are somewhat isolated by the sheer luck of geography, are facing threats to their survival. On the small European island country of Malta, which lays less than 100 miles south of the island of Sicily, their…
Honeybees Get Biology Course at University of Texas
By Manuka HoneyBee Colony Collapse Honey Honey BeesLeave a comment
Down in Dallas, Texas, word about the decline of honeybees as well as other pollinators has spread to the point that one University of Texas professor has decided to offer something toward the effort to decrease pollinator losses. This senior lecturer, Dr. Scott Rippel, who is also a decorated veteran of the U.S. Army, is…
St. Paul Building 'Luxury' Habitats for Bees
While hives are what most people think of when they imagine "bee habitats," residents of St. Paul, Minnesota are bringing new meaning to the term. As a way of combating further habitat loss, as seen by Minnesota's 400 various native bee species every year, artists from a local establishment called Public Art St. Paul are…
'Honey Princess' Visits Alaska to Talk Honeybees
As part of a yearlong tour throughout the United States, Hope Pettibon, this year's American "Honey Princess," came through Alaska in the past few weeks, making it the 22nd state she's visited out of the 25 planned this year. Visiting a few schools as well as a Lions Club, Pettibon has worked to educate both…
'Hive Calls' Becoming Common for Veterinarians
When most people imagine a veterinarian's job description, they likely picture him or her treating dogs, cats, rodents, birds, or even larger animals, such as horses, cattle, or pigs. However, due to brand new regulations at the federal level, vets will soon have to grapple with a new type of "pet" – honeybees. Given the…
Positive Bee Numbers Just Released by USDA
After multiple years of only bad news, the United States' Department of Agriculture recently released a new report on honeybee colonies with some positive numbers. As of April 1, 2017, U.S. commercial honeybee colonies numbered 2.89 million, which is a three percent growth from the previous year. Even better, the number of colonies lost has…
Illinois College Inspired – Creates Pollinator Habitat
Last month on August 19, the U.S. held its ninth annual National Honey Bee Day, where honey bee and pollinator organizations around the country not only tried to build awareness of honey bees and educate the public, but they also planted new pollinator habitats at various public locations. In Naperville, Illinois, such an effort took…
North Dakota Beekeepers and Farmers Working Together
As word spreads about the decline of honeybees and the ways in which ordinary folks like us can help, more stories keep popping up that indicate just how powerful communities can be when they come together for one purpose. This story, which comes out of Jamestown, North Dakota, revolves around two groups of people who…
The Ingredient That Prevents Bees from Being Queens
While not everyone is versed in the specifics of how honeybees develop from larvae into full grown adult bees, most do know that royal jelly is what turns a larva into a queen bee rather than a simple worker bee. However, a recently published study took that knowledge even further and discovered there is actually…
How You Can Help Out Pollinators
Several weeks ago, the U.S. celebrated National Honeybee Day to bring awareness to the ongoing issue surrounding honeybees and their consistently declining numbers every year. While the Department of Agriculture did release a report detailing a subtle increase in national honeybee populations – a potential positive side effect of the intense focus placed on bees…
Bees Still Have a Long Way to Go
Recent headlines regarding a U.S. Agriculture Department survey, which stated commercial bee colonies were up from last year whereas lost colonies were down, seemed to indicate positive changes for honeybee populations moving forward and a decline in the effects of colony collapse disorder (CCD). However, even with these positive changes, there are those who aren't…
Making a Pollinator Garden in Honor of National Honeybee Day
During this past week, specifically August 19, National Honey Bee Day was welcomed, serving as a chance to educate the general public regarding the various concerns honeybees face in their everyday survival. Such education included the factors influencing the decline of honeybee populations, such as pesticides, lack of habitat and forage, and varroa mites. Officially started…
More Urban Beekeepers Putting in the Work to Save Bees
Within a town most people other than its residents have likely never heard of, a steady rise in urban beekeepers has become apparent, coinciding with similar growths in other cities throughout the country. This town – Greenville, West Virginia – has been seeing hives pop up in even its most populated areas, with two of…
Bee Colonies Shown to Be Increasing
After studying the considerable losses in honeybee colonies in recent years, authorities, including the Department of Agriculture, had stipulated that the causes behind the decline were disease and parasites, leading to the mysterious phenomenon colony collapse disorder (CCD). The average loss in 2016 reported by beekeepers among their commercial hives, per the U.S. Agriculture Department,…
Biologist Monitoring "Bee Talk" to Improve Honeybee Health
Given the importance of honeybees to the environment and agriculture in general, biologists have been working for years to try and understand the enigmatic colony collapse disorder (CCD), which is the leading suspected cause of honeybee decline in recent decades. Oldooz Pooyanfar, a graduate student with Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, is among those…
Colorado Beekeeper Wondering About Bee Survival
Efforts to conserve honeybee populations are popping up all over the United States from the Northeast to the Southwest. Whether it's a community planning initiative to be more bee-friendly or a few people using fewer harmful pesticides for their gardens, stories seem to be never-ending regarding the level of awareness people are acquiring for the…
Detroit: The Place for Urban Farming and Beekeeping
Given its losses in manufacturing, Detroit has seen significantly lower population numbers every year, with many people emigrating from the city and moving on. Even if Detroit is a "shrinking city," dropping to a population level it can handle, there are a few positive attributes of this phenomenon, and one involves bees. Specifically, backyard beekeeping…
Veteran Beekeepers: Novices Pose Greatest Threat to Bees
The decline of reported honeybee colonies has been widely publicized for several years, leading to many organizations and individuals to contribute in some way to the fight to bring those numbers back up. Some people simply plant bee-friendly flowers and cut down on pesticides, some companies hold fundraisers for research, and some very dedicated individuals…
New York State Becoming Aware of Varroa Mites
Because of their significance to pollination and the national food supply, it's crucial that honeybees and other pollinating species receive more attention from the average person, especially attention toward the things contributing to their declining numbers. Whether it's colony collapse disorder (CCD), diseases, malnutrition, pesticides, or lack of habitat, there is much hindering bees all…
Israel Scientists Encouraging Government to Save Wild Bees
With the current threats facing bees and other pollinators, including pesticides, diseases, and habitat loss, various nations and leaders are doing what they can to help increase population numbers. At the same time, however, some initiatives can be helpful while others may have unforeseen consequences. For example, the government of Israel intends to pass a…
15,000 Very Rare Bees Mistaken for Wasps – and Sprayed
Given the heightened spotlight honeybees are currently in right now in many countries, the general public is learning that the right course of action when they spot a seemingly dangerous swarm of bees is to call a local beekeeper and not the exterminator. Many bee species are already on the decline, even with the help…
Urban Beekeepers Saving Bees and Making Beer
Without honeybees and other pollinating species, human beings' survival situation would become much more precarious. Given their irreplaceable role in agriculture, bees are, without a doubt, fundamental. Whether it's vegetables, fruits, nuts, or dairy and meat from cows and other livestock, who rely on bee-dependent grasses like alfalfa, bees are responsible for much of what we…
How to Fight Bee Decline: Swarms
Every summer, it's not uncommon to hear about these supposed freak occurrences where giant swarms of honeybees are found in the most conspicuous, open of spaces where anyone can be stung and scared away by them. Sometimes, those stories end with people reacting the wrong way (calling the exterminator) or the right way by calling a…
Canada Taking Care of Honeybees
Just as the United States has been working to bring honeybee numbers back up to safer levels, so have our northern neighbors up in Canada. With researchers working constantly to ensure the country's pollinators, including honeybees, are healthy, at least one from the University of Guelph has noticed how ordinary citizens are putting in the…
Researchers Getting Almost $1M to Study Bee Stress
Given how vulnerable honeybees are these days, with their numbers declining for more than one complex reason, it's imperative that researchers discover what they can to avert any risks of extinction. As pollinators, honeybees, native bee species, and all kinds of other animals are responsible for at least one third of the food we all…
Project Genesis Still Tracking Bee Cycles After Six Years
According to veteran North Carolina beekeeper Carl Chesick, he used to be a rather anti-social guy back in 2002, which wasn't necessarily a problem for him—he could work on Green Goddess Apiary, the name of a 14-acre operation he started with Joan, his wife, in quiet, calm solitude. However, as Chesick became more involved in…
Second Lady Karen Pence Promotes Honeybees
On Tuesday June 6, the White House released a statement regarding a new initiative started by Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Second Lady Karen Pence. The pair unveiled a recently-installed bee colony on the vice president's residential property, inspiring awareness of the struggle pollinators currently face, given their numbers decline further in each state…
Science Instructor Teaching Beekeeping to Students
While many who work in education have gone out of their way to inform young people about the plights honeybees face today, not many teachers actually bring the bees to the students – to work with and care for for an entire semester. Jared Lewis, who teaches science at the Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy…