Flowers Tone Down the Iridescence of Their Petals and Avoid Confusing Bees

University of Cambridge Iridescent flowers are never as dramatically rainbow-coloured as iridescent beetles, birds or fish, but their petals produce the perfect signal for bees, according to a new study published today in Current Biology. Bees buzzing around a garden, looking for nectar, need to be able to spot flower petals and recognise which coloured flowers are full of food for them. …

New Research Proposals Aim to Improve Honey Bee Health

Project Apis m. to spearhead multi-year research funded by Bayer’s Healthy Hives 2020 initiative Bayer Crop Science News Release   RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (Feb. 18, 2016) – Bayer and Project Apis m. today announced they are partnering to sponsor research to improve the health of honey bee colonies in the United States within the next five years. A multi-year, $1 million research effort, …

Bees Abuzz Over Rapini

By Jan Suszkiw (USDA-ARS) Popular in Italy but also grown in the United States, rapini, or broccoli raab, is a turnip-like vegetable featured in the recipes of cable television's top celebrity chefs. Foodies are not the only fans of rapini. Honey bees love it too, for its bright yellow, pollen-packed flowers. Studies by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists show that managed honey …

USDA Sees Strong Demand for Conservation Reserve Program

Deadline to Submit Offers for Competitive Enrollment is Feb. 26 WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2016 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is reminding farmers and ranchers that the competitive sign-up deadline for its most popular voluntary conservation program, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), is Feb. 26, 2016. This will be one of the most competitive general sign-up periods in history, in …

Bee Sweet on Your Honey!

(Courtesy of the National Honey Board) Valentine’s Day is right around the corner (for those of you who have lost track of time, it’s THIS Sunday). While chocolates and flowers may be the norm this time of year, we’re here to shake things up a bit with five honey recipes that will show your honey just how sweet you are on …

Preliminary Imidacloprid Pollinator Risk Assessment Technical Briefing Webinar Slated for February 18

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold an online technical briefing on its preliminary pollinator risk assessment for imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide, on February 18, 2016, from 1PM to 2:30PM (Eastern Standard Time). Register for the webinar at here. The webinar is intended to help inform the public about the results of the recently released preliminary pollinator risk assessment for …

USDA Research Identifies Factors Causing Premature Commercial Honey Bee Queen Failure

by Kim Kaplan ARS News Service, USDA BELTSVILLE, Md., Feb. 10, 2016—Temperature extremes during shipping and elevated pathogen levels may be contributing to honey bee queens failing faster today than in the past, according to a study just published by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists in the scientific journal PLOS One. "Either stress individually or in combination could be part of the …

From Flower to Anodes: Pollen-derived Battery Electrodes

Purdue University News WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Flower pollen could represent a boon for battery makers: Recent research has suggested their potential use as anodes in lithium-ion batteries. "Our findings have demonstrated that renewable pollens could produce carbon architectures for anode applications in energy storage devices," said Vilas Pol, an associate professor in the School of Chemical Engineering and the School of …