Bad Breeding Between European and Asian Honeybees Concerns Australian Beekeeping Industry

ABC Rural By Eliza Rogers Reprinted with Permission Bees are a vital part of the ecosystem and economy, but bad mating could cause damage. Beekeepers are on alert after tests found Australia's European honeybees are breeding with the destructive Asian honeybee.  Sperm from the Asian honeybee, that carries the deadly Varroa mite, was found in one third of commercial queens tested in the Cairns …

Insecticide Causes Changes in Honeybee Genes, Research Finds

New research by academics at The University of Nottingham (UK) has shown that exposure to a neonicotinoid insecticide causes changes to the genes of the honeybee. The study, published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, supports the recent decision taken by the European Commission to temporarily ban three neonicotinoids amid concerns that they could be linked to bee deaths. There is growing …

EPA Approves Apivar Honeybee Miticide For Use In All 50 United States

Véto-pharma is submitting approval applications for individual states and anticipates this process will be complete by the end of April.   New York, NY –April 2, 2013 –Véto-pharma S.A., the French veterinary pharmaceutical company specializing in honeybee health, announced today that the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted Section 3 registration approval of its Apivar® miticide effective March 11, 2013. EPA …

Understanding Nosema and its Treatment

Nosema, a destructive effect caused by fungi known as Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae, can have a significant impact on beehives if left unaddressed. While Nosema apis is generally a benign parasite in European honey bees worldwide, it can cause severe damage without timely intervention. These spore-forming parasites attack the mid-gut lining of bees, which is responsible for producing digestive enzymes …

Post Offices ‘Abuzz’ Over Protect Pollinators Forever Stamps

©2017 USPS RICHMOND, VA — The U.S. Postal Service will pay tribute tomorrow to the beauty and importance of pollinators with stamps depicting two of our continent’s most iconic, the monarch butterfly and the western honeybee, each shown industriously pollinating a variety of plants native to North America. The Protect Pollinators Forever stamps will be dedicated at noon tomorrow at the American …

Supporting Pollinators Could Have Big Payoff for Texas Cotton Farmers

University of Texas at Austin According to a new study by The University of Texas at Austin, increasing the diversity of pollinator species, including bees, flies and butterflies, can dramatically increase cotton production. The researchers estimate that in South Texas, the region they studied, increasing the diversity of pollinators could boost cotton production by up to 18 percent, yielding an increase …

Native Field-foraging Bees Exposed to Neonicotinoid Insecticides and Other Pesticides

United States Geological Survey According to the first-ever study of pesticide residues on field-caught bees, native bees are exposed to neonicotinoid insecticides and other pesticides. This report was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey and published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. This research focused on native bees, because there is limited information on their exposure to pesticides. In fact, …