We will bring you information on worldwide developments within the beekeeping industry and related agricultural news. We will present a brief introduction to events, developments and interesting news releases as they occur. Want information sent directly to your inbox? Sign up for our free newsletter!
BELTSVILLE, MARYLAND, February 18, 2021—An Agricultural Research Service entomologist has discovered the Nosema ceranae parasite that causes major problems and death in honey bees works by hijacking its host's iron for itself. Iron is as essential a micronutrient for honey bees as it is for people. Honey bees usually get enough to meet their needs from their flower pollen diet. They …
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) trapped its first Asian giant hornet this month. The hornet was found in a WSDA trap set near Birch Bay in Whatcom County. WSDA trappers checked the bottle trap on July 14 and submitted the contents for processing at WSDA’s entomology lab. The hornet was identified during processing on July 29. This …
Beginning in March 2020, EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs will host a series of public webinars highlighting ongoing work to promote pollinator health and habitat. These webinars seek to increase awareness of the evolving science on pollinator health, promote efforts to improve pollinator habitat, and engage stakeholders in addressing factors associated with declines in pollinator health. Each webinar will target different stakeholders, …
ARS News Service By Kim Kaplan TUCSON, ARIZONA, September 18, 2019—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 which colonies will not be worth spending dollars to overwinter can improve beekeepers' bottom line. Beekeepers have been …
ARS News Service By Jan Suszkiw MADISON, WISCONSIN, August 20, 2019—Bees only feast on nectar and pollen, right? Wrong. Turns out, Nature's famously busy insect isn't strictly vegan, after all. Reporting online in this month's American Naturalist, a team of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and university scientists has shown that bee larvae (brood) have a taste for "microbial meat." ARS entomologist Shawn Steffan and his …
Guide includes how to test and treat American and European Foulbrood, new Veterinary Feed Directive rules for using antibiotics, and the importance of being vigilant The Honey Bee Health Coalition unveiled a new resource for beekeepers today — an information sheet for hive management decisions related to American Foulbrood (AFB) and European Foulbrood (EFB). An expert team of beekeepers, entomologists, apiary …
by Kim Kaplan FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA, April 18, 2019—Cold temperatures inside honey bee colonies may cause colony losses during and after long-distance hauling, according to a preliminary study by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists. Every year almost 2 million honey bee colonies—nearly two-thirds of the managed colonies in the United States—are loaded aboard semi-trailers and shipped across the country multiple times to …
EPA is updating its Residual Time to 25% Bee Mortality (RT25) Data table with information the agency has collected since the table was first published in 2014. EPA published the RT25 data as one of many actions we have taken since 2006 to protect pollinators. RT25 data help farmers and beekeepers know about how long a specific pesticide may remain toxic …