Scientists at UBC are unravelling the mysteries behind a persistent problem in commercial beekeeping that is one of the leading causes of colony mortality — queen bee failure. This occurs when the queen fails to produce enough fertilized eggs to maintain the hive, and is regularly cited by the Canadian Association of Professional Apiarists as … More Scientists find clues to queen bee failure.
More “intensive” beekeeping does not raise the risk of diseases that harm or kill the insects, new research suggests. Intensive agriculture — where animals or plants are kept crowded together in very high densities — is thought to result in higher rates of disease spreading. But researchers from the University of Exeter and the University … More ‘Intensive’ beekeeping not to blame for common bee diseases.
The reddish-brown varroa mite, a parasite of honeybees and accidentally introduced in the Big Island of Hawaii in 2007-08, is about the size of a pinhead. Yet, its effects there are concerning to entomologists because the mite is found nearly everywhere honeybees are present. A team led by entomologists at the University of California, Riverside, … More Bee mite arrival in Hawaii causes pathogen changes in honeybee predators.
A new study from Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden has found that climate change may drive local extinction of mason bees in Arizona and other naturally warm climates. In a two-year, in situ field experiment that altered the temperature of the bees’ nests to simulate a warmer, future climate, 35 percent of bees … More Climate change linked to potential population decline in bees.
For the first time ever, scientists have documented a widespread extinction of bees that occurred 65 million years ago, concurrent with the massive event that wiped out land dinosaurs and many flowering plants. Their findings, published this week in the journal PLOS ONE, could shed light on the current decline in bee species. Lead author Sandra … More Bees underwent massive extinctions at the same time as the dinosaurs.
A coalition that includes Environmental Defence and the Ontario Beekeepers Federation says proposed rule changes for neonicotinoids, or neonics for short, will make it easier for farmers to use them and harder for the government to track them. But the Ontario government, farmer organizations and pesticide manufacturers who support the changes say they would reduce … More Environmental groups say the Ontario government is proposing to weaken the province’s restrictions on a class of agricultural pesticides that some scientific studies blame for large declines in the populations of bees and other insects.
The immediate “no-regret” measures they propose include aggressively curbing planet-heating emissions and the use of synthetic pesticides. by Jessica Corbett, staff writer Highlighting the “strong scientific consensus that the decline of insects, other arthropods, and biodiversity as a whole, is a very real and serious threat that society must urgently address,” 73 international scientists on … More ‘Because Insects Are Key to Our Own Survival,’ 73 Scientists Unveil Global Road map to Battle Bugpocalypse.
The situation is dire with massive bee die offs — largely thanks to the continued use of bee-killing pesticides. Thankfully, the Saving America’s Pollinators Act (SAPA) would put a stop to these toxic chemicals. Scientists have warned that further decline of bees and other insects could lead us to a “collapse of nature’s ecosystems.” Currently, 40 percent of wild bees and other … More The numbers are in: Beekeepers faced their second highest losses in 14 years this past year.
Animal pollinators support the production of three-quarters of the world’s food crops, and many flowers produce nectar to reward the pollinators. A new study using bumblebees has found that the sweetest nectar is not necessarily the best: too much sugar slows down the bees. The results will inform breeding efforts to make crops more attractive … More Vomiting bumblebees show that sweeter is not necessarily better.
A study suggests the likelihood of a bumblebee population surviving in any given place has declined by 30% in the course of a single human generation. The researchers say the rates of decline appear to be “consistent with a mass extinction”. Peter Soroye, a PhD student at the University of Ottawa and the study’s lead author, said: … More Bumblebees are in drastic decline across Europe and North America owing to hotter and more frequent extremes in temperatures, scientists say.
