Honey bees fend off giant hornets with animal feces. Honeybees spread animal dung on the entrance of their hives to effectively ward off giant hornets.

December 11, 2020

What’s the best way to ward off giant hornets if you’re a honeybee? Animal dung, according to a first-ever University of Guelph study. U of G researchers have discovered honeybees in Vietnam collect and apply spots of animal dung around hive entrances to deter deadly nest raids by an Asian hornet (Vespa soror) whose North American … More Honey bees fend off giant hornets with animal feces. Honeybees spread animal dung on the entrance of their hives to effectively ward off giant hornets.

Hair spacing keeps honeybees clean during pollination. Researchers quantify the cleaning process.

December 8, 2020

With honeybee colony health wavering and researchers trying to find technological ways of pollinating plants in the future, a new Georgia Tech study has looked at how the insects do their job and manage to stay clean. According to the study, a honeybee can carry up to 30 percent of its body weight in pollen because of the strategic … More Hair spacing keeps honeybees clean during pollination. Researchers quantify the cleaning process.

Honeybees infect wild bumblebees through shared flowers. Domestic beehives linked to spike in viral infections in nearby bumblebee populations.

December 3, 2020

Many species of wild bumblebees are in decline — and new research shows that diseases spread by domestic honeybees may be a major culprit. Several of the viruses associated with bumblebees’ trouble are moving from managed bees in apiaries to nearby populations of wild bumblebees — “and we show this spillover is likely occurring through … More Honeybees infect wild bumblebees through shared flowers. Domestic beehives linked to spike in viral infections in nearby bumblebee populations.

Honeybee dance dialects.

November 29, 2020

After more than 70 years, a great mystery of zoology has been solved: Honeybees actually use different dance dialects in their waggle dance. Which dialect has developed during evolution is related to the radius of action in which they collect food around the hive. This is reported by research teams from the Bio-center of Julius-Maximilians-Universität … More Honeybee dance dialects.

Honeybees pick up ‘astonishing’ number of pesticides via non-crop plants.

November 24, 2020

A Purdue University study shows that honeybees collect the vast majority of their pollen from plants other than crops, even in areas dominated by corn and soybeans, and that pollen is consistently contaminated with a host of agricultural and urban pesticides throughout the growing season. Christian Krupke, professor of entomology, and then-postdoctoral researcher Elizabeth Long … More Honeybees pick up ‘astonishing’ number of pesticides via non-crop plants.

Pesticides may cause bumblebees to lose their buzz, study finds.

November 19, 2020

Pesticides significantly reduce the number of pollen grains a bumblebee is able to collect, a new University of Stirling study has found. The research, conducted by a team in the Faculty of Natural Sciences, found that field-realistic doses of a neonicotinoid pesticide affects the behaviour of bees — ultimately interfering with the type of vibrations … More Pesticides may cause bumblebees to lose their buzz, study finds.

Queen bee or worker bee? New insights into honeybee society caste system.

November 14, 2020

Scientists are reporting deep new insights into whys and hows of the famous caste system that dominates honey bee societies, with a select few bee larvae destined for royalty and the masses for worker status. Their study probing the innermost biological makings of queen bees and worker bees appears in ACS’s Journal of Proteome Research. Jianke Li and colleagues … More Queen bee or worker bee? New insights into honeybee society caste system.

Sugar-poor diets wreak havoc on bumblebee queens’ health.

November 9, 2020

Flower losses due to shrinking habitats and climate change hurt prime pollinators. Without enough sugar in their diets, bumblebee queens can experience difficulty reproducing and shorter lifespans.   Hollis Woodard, assistant professor of entomology at UCR, has conducted multiple studies showing how loss of plant availability negatively affects the prolific pollinators. Previous research indicates a queen’s diet can impact how quickly her brood develops, … More Sugar-poor diets wreak havoc on bumblebee queens’ health.

U.S. beekeepers lost over 40 percent of colonies last year, highest winter losses ever recorded. Results point to a need for increased research, extension, and best management practices.

November 4, 2020

Beekeepers across the United States lost 40.7% of their honey bee colonies from April 2018 to April 2019, according to preliminary results of the latest annual nationwide survey conducted by the University of Maryland-led nonprofit Bee Informed Partnership. Honey bees pollinate $15 billion worth of food crops in the United States each year. The survey … More U.S. beekeepers lost over 40 percent of colonies last year, highest winter losses ever recorded. Results point to a need for increased research, extension, and best management practices.

To save honey bees, human behavior must change. Poor management practices have enabled spread of bee pathogens, bee researcher argues.

October 30, 2020

In the search for answers to the complex health problems and colony losses experienced by honey bees in recent years, it may be time for professionals and hobbyists in the beekeeping industry to look in the mirror. In a research essay to be published this week in the Entomological Society of America’s Journal of Economic Entomology, … More To save honey bees, human behavior must change. Poor management practices have enabled spread of bee pathogens, bee researcher argues.