UC Davis to Host Conference on Neonicotinoids

by Kathy Keatley Garvey A pollen-laded honey bee heading toward pear blossoms. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)   DAVIS, CA --“Truth or Myth: Neonicotinoids and Their Impact on Pollinators: What Is the Science-Based Research?” That's the topic of a special conference--open to the public –set from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 9 at the UC Davis Conference Center, 550 Alumni Lane. UC …

Losses of Honey Bee Colonies Over the 2014/15 Winter

Preliminary results from an international study The honey bee research association COLOSS1 has today announced the preliminary results of their international study of colony losses over the 2014-15 winter. Data were collected from 31 countries. Egypt, Russia and the Ukraine participated for the first time in this initiative, which is the largest and longest running international study of honey bee colony …

Oriental Honey Buzzards Might Stop to Smell the Pollen

Buzzard identifies food by the pollen smell, yellow color PLOS Oriental honey buzzards, birds of prey, likely use a combination of their senses of smell and sight to identify nutritious pollen dough balls found in Taiwanese beehives, according to a study published July 15, 2015 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Shu-Yi Yang from National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, …

Bayer CropScience and Ernst Conservation Seeds Partner to Create Pollinator Habitat

Collaboration Aims to Help Individuals and Organizations Gain Access to Wildflower Seeds to Create Bee Forage   A honeybee works a purple coneflower, one of the native wildflower species included in the Feed A Bee bulk seed mix provided by Ernst Conservation Seeds.   RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (July 9, 2015) – As part of its ongoing commitment to honey bee health, Bayer CropScience has …

Large-scale Bee Monitoring Easier with New Testing Method

University of East Anglia. Research published today in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution shows that collecting wild bees, extracting their DNA, and directly reading the DNA of the resultant 'soup' could finally make large-scale bee monitoring programs feasible. This would allow conservationists to detect where and when bee species are being lost, and importantly, whether conservation interventions are working. The UK's …

What Bee-killing Mites Can Teach Us About Parasite Evolution

CELL PRESS Varroa mites on honey bee larvae. Credit: Tatsuhiko Kadowaki and colleagues.   An infestation of speck-sized Varroa destructor mites can wipe out an entire colony of honey bees in 2-3 years if left untreated. Pesticides help beekeepers rid their hives of these parasitic arthropods, which feed on the blood-like liquid inside of their hosts and lay their eggs on larvae, but …

USDA To Host 6th Annual Pollinator Festival during June 19 Farmers Market

New Display in USDA Headquarters People's Garden Encourages Visitors to Promote Pollinator Habitat and "Plant a Window Box for Pollinators" WASHINGTON, June 17, 2015 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is celebrating National Pollinator Week, June 15-21, 2015, by hosting the 6th Annual Pollinator Festival from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, June 19, 2015, in conjunction with the …