Tag: #honeybees

I see you: Honey bees use contagious and honest visual signal to deter attacking hornets

March 12, 2021

Study is the first to demonstrate a contagious warning signal that resists fake news in social insects. An Asian hornet sets its sights on a busy honey bee hive. If all goes according to plan, the hornet’s attack will result in a haul of bee larvae, precious nourishment to pilfer and feed to its own … More I see you: Honey bees use contagious and honest visual signal to deter attacking hornets

Male honey bees inject queens with blinding toxins during sex.

March 9, 2021

They say love is blind, but if you’re a queen honeybee it could mean true loss of sight. New research finds male honeybees inject toxins during sex that cause temporary blindness. All sexual activity occurs during a brief early period in a honeybee’s life, during which males die and queens can live for many years without ever … More Male honey bees inject queens with blinding toxins during sex.

Honey bees fend off giant hornets with animal feces.

February 3, 2021

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.

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.

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.

New tool improves beekeepers’ overwintering odds and bottom line.

October 20, 2020

A new tool from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) can predict the odds that honey bee colonies overwintered in cold storage will be large enough to rent for almond pollination in February. Identifying which colonies will not be worth spending dollars to overwinter can improve beekeepers’ bottom line. Beekeepers have been losing an average of 30 percent of overwintered … More New tool improves beekeepers’ overwintering odds and bottom line.