Month: July 2019

How honey bee gut bacteria help to digest their pollen-rich diet

July 30, 2019

The honey bee gut is colonized by specialized bacteria that help digest components of the floral pollen diet and produce molecules that likely promote bee health. In a study publishing 12 December in the open access journal PLOS Biology, a group of researchers led by Philipp Engel at the University of Lausanne and ETH Zürich, Switzerland, … More How honey bee gut bacteria help to digest their pollen-rich diet

Bees are impressive creatures, powering entire ecosystems via pollination and making sweet honey at the same time, one of the most incredible substances in nature.

July 24, 2019

It turns out the little striped insects are also quite clever. A new study suggests that, despite having tiny brains, bees understand the mathematical concepts of addition and subtraction.    To test the numeracy of the arthropods, researchers set up unique Y-shaped math mazes for the bees to navigate, according to Nicola Davis at the The Guardian. … More Bees are impressive creatures, powering entire ecosystems via pollination and making sweet honey at the same time, one of the most incredible substances in nature.

A Frightening Review of Recent Chemical Company Megamergers, Not to Mention the Thousands of Lawsuits Against the Tragic Effects

July 16, 2019

MARC STEINER: In 2016 I covered the battle by farmers and environmentalists to stop Bayer and Monsanto from merging into one company. The Department of Justice just ruled that the merger of these two corporate giants could take place. You know the name Bayer as aspirin. You might take an Aleve now and then for your … More A Frightening Review of Recent Chemical Company Megamergers, Not to Mention the Thousands of Lawsuits Against the Tragic Effects

Pesticide exposure causes bumblebee flight to fall short

July 11, 2019

Bees exposed to a neonicotinoid pesticide fly only a third of the distance that unexposed bees are able to achieve. Flight behaviour is crucial for determining how bees forage, so reduced flight performance from pesticide exposure could lead to colonies going hungry and pollination services being impacted. Foraging bees are essential pollinators for the crops … More Pesticide exposure causes bumblebee flight to fall short

Minnesota Will Pay Residents to Grow Bee Friendly Lawns

July 8, 2019

Leaving lawns untreated and allowing flowering plants to grow can help support the endangered rusty patched bumblebee The plump rusty patched bumblebee, Bombus affinis, once buzzed all across the eastern United States, the upper Midwest and parts of Canada. But today, the chunky critter is endangered, its population reduced by nearly 90 percent. In Minnesota, where the rusty patched … More Minnesota Will Pay Residents to Grow Bee Friendly Lawns

Honey bee parasites, varroa mites, feed on fatty organs, not blood

July 7, 2019

Honey bee colonies around the world are at risk from a variety of threats, including pesticides, diseases, poor nutrition and habitat loss. Recent research suggests that one threat stands well above the others: a parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, which specializes in attacking honey bees. For decades, researchers have assumed that varroa mites feed on blood, like … More Honey bee parasites, varroa mites, feed on fatty organs, not blood