Month: December 2019

Pesticide exposure causes bumblebee flight to fall short.

December 30, 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.

Shaking the swarm.

December 27, 2019

Researchers explore how bees collaborate to stabilize swarm clusters. If it’s a bad idea to kick a hornet’s nest, it’s certainly a bad idea to shake a bee swarm. Unless, of course, it’s for science. A team of Harvard University researchers spent months shaking and rattling swarms of thousands of honey bees to better understand how … More Shaking the swarm.

Climate change is wreaking havoc on delicate relationship between orchids and bees.

December 24, 2019

The first definitive demonstration of climate change upsetting the vital interdependent relationships between species has been revealed. The first definitive demonstration of climate change upsetting the vital interdependent relationships between species has been revealed, thanks to a study led by the University of Sussex. Research led by Prof Michael Hutchings at the University of Sussex tracks how … More Climate change is wreaking havoc on delicate relationship between orchids and bees.

With flower preferences, bees have a big gap between the sexes.

December 20, 2019

Female and male bees of the same species frequent different flowers, study finds. For scores of wild bee species, females and males visit very different flowers for food — a discovery that could be important for conservation efforts, according to Rutgers-led research. Indeed, the diets of female and male bees of the same species could be … More With flower preferences, bees have a big gap between the sexes.

Biologists discover sophisticated ‘Alarm’ signals in honey bees.

December 17, 2019

‘Stop signals’ found to encode predator danger, attack context. Bees can use sophisticated signals to warn their nestmates about the level of danger from predators attacking foragers or the nest, according to a new study. Biologists at UC San Diego and in China found that an Asian species of honey bee can produce different types … More Biologists discover sophisticated ‘Alarm’ signals in honey bees.

Discovery of RNA transfer through royal jelly could aid development of honey bee vaccines.

December 14, 2019

Researchers have discovered that honey bees are able to share immunity with other bees and to their offspring in a hive by transmitting RNA ‘vaccines’ through royal jelly and worker jelly. The jelly is the bee equivalent of mother’s milk: a secretion used to provide nutrition to worker and queen bee larvae. The findings suggest … More Discovery of RNA transfer through royal jelly could aid development of honey bee vaccines.

Wild ground-nesting bees might be exposed to lethal levels of neonics in soil.

December 11, 2019

In a first-ever study investigating the risk of neonicotinoid insecticides to ground-nesting bees, University of Guelph researchers have discovered at least one species is being exposed to lethal levels of the chemicals in the soil. Examining the presence of these commonly used pesticides in soil is important given the majority of bee species in Canada … More Wild ground-nesting bees might be exposed to lethal levels of neonics in soil.

Bigger = better: Big bees fly better in hotter temps than smaller ones do.

December 8, 2019

New research provides a lesson in bee physiology and flies in the face of the temperature-size ‘rule’ Arizona State University researchers have found that larger tropical stingless bee species fly better in hot conditions than smaller bees do. Larger size may help certain bee species better tolerate high body temperatures. The findings run contrary to the … More Bigger = better: Big bees fly better in hotter temps than smaller ones do.

Genomes of parasitic mites harming the world’s bees.

December 5, 2019

Honey bee colony collapse has devastating consequences for the environment, the global economy, and food security worldwide. The culprits behind some of the destruction — parasitic Varroa mites — are just a couple of millimeters in size, and they infiltrate colonies and infect bees with viruses. Yet surprisingly little is known about the mite’s biology. Researchers from … More Genomes of parasitic mites harming the world’s bees.