Honey Bee Health Coalition Releases Information to Help Beekeepers, Veterinarians Manage Foulbrood

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 …

Weak Honey Bee Colonies May Fail From Cold Exposure During Shipping

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 …

Honey Bee Health Coalition Members Release Corn, Canola Guides for Bee Protection

National Corn Growers Association, U.S. Canola Association partner with Coalition to develop best practices growers can use to reduce risk to honey bees, other pollinators   Two Honey Bee Health Coalition member organizations — the National Corn Growers Association and the U.S. Canola Association — recently unveiled best management practices for growers to help protect bees in and around corn and canola …

Scientists Find Evidence of 27 New Viruses in Bees

We’ve all heard of Deformed Wing Virus and most of you can probably list another 3 or 4 honey bee viruses. But what other viruses still lurk undiscovered? An international team of researchers uncovered evidence of 27 previously unknown viruses in bees. The finding could help scientists design strategies to prevent the spread of viral pathogens among these important pollinators. "Populations …

Raiding the Rape Field

Honey bees can produce vast amounts of honey off canola, known as oilseed rape in Europe. It’s an early flow that can crystallize in the comb if the weather turns cool. Some beekeepers lately have become hesitant about placing their colonies near canola, worried that the pollen from treated fields is negatively impacting honey bee health. New research shows that …

What Gives Bees their Sweet Tooth?

Scientists have discovered bees linger on a flower, emptying it of nectar, because they have sugar-sensing taste neurons which work together to prolong the pleasure of the sweetness. Newcastle University researchers report that the bees' taste neurons found on their proboscis - their mouthparts - fire intense signals for up to 10 seconds - much longer than the taste neurons found …

Honey Bees Struggle to Find Enough Good Bacteria

Modern monoculture farming, commercial forestry and even well-intentioned gardeners could be making it harder for honey bees to store food and fight off diseases, a new study suggests. Human changes to the landscape, such as large areas of monoculture grassland for livestock grazing, and coniferous forests for timber production, is affecting the diversity of the 'microbiome' associated with the long-term food …