The University of Maryland/Bee Informed Partnership informs us that Beekeepers across the United States lost 33 percent of their honey bee colonies during the year spanning April 2016 to April 2017, according to the latest preliminary results of an annual nationwide survey. Rates of both winter loss and summer loss — and consequently, total annual … More Nation’s Beekeepers Lost 33 Percent of Bees in 2016-17
Its population and range have declined by 87 percent. Now, there’s a 90 percent probability of extinction for the bee if no action is taken to save it. The Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee was meant to become the first bee in North America listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), effective February 10, 2017. However, a … More The fight to save the rusty-patched bumble bee and how you can help
The Los Angeles City Council approved a draft proposal to allow hobbyist beekeepers to maintain hives in their backyards. Cities across the country have legalized beekeeping to help rebuild honeybee colonies. By Henry Gass Jason Lee/The Sun News via AP/File Los Angeles moved closer this week to allowing residents to keep beehives, making the city … More Los Angeles buzzing over backyard beehives
Poor management practices have enabled spread of bee pathogens, bee researcher argues 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 … More To save honey bees, human behavior must change
Once the snow melts, bees will be back in business — pollinating, making honey and keeping busy doing bee things. For at least two urban bee species, that means making nests out of plastic waste. A new study reveals that some bees, including alfalfa leafcutting bees, use bits of plastic bags and plastic building materials … More Urban bees using plastic to build hives
A research team has found that male European honey bees, or drones, are much more susceptible than female European honey bees, known as workers, to a fungal intestinal parasite called Nosema ceranae. Originally from Asia, Nosema ceranae has rapidly spread throughout the world, and may contribute to the high number of colony deaths now observed … More The weaker sex: Male honey bees more susceptible than females to widespread intestinal parasite
The number of honey bee colonies fell by nearly 12% last winter, an international study indicates. The study found that the spring and early summer months of 2015, from March to July, were cold in Norway, Scotland, Sweden, Denmark and Ireland, with mean temperatures ranging from 12.8 – 14.4 °C. This may have had negative … More Honey bee colonies fall by nearly 12% globally
A decrease in the length of alpine bumble bees’ tongues, a new study notes, is due to climate-related changes in flower diversity. The bees are poorly suited to feed from and pollinate the deep flowers they were adapted to previously. Climate-related changes in flower diversity have resulted in a decrease in the length of alpine … More Not exactly a tongue-in-cheek issue
Beekeepers across the United States lost more than 40 percent of their honey bee colonies during the year spanning April 2014 to April 2015, according to the latest results of an annual nationwide survey. Beekeepers across the United States lost more than 40 percent of their honey bee colonies during the year spanning April 2014 … More U.S. beekeepers lost 40 percent of bees in 2014-15
Save The Bees Concert 