Items of potential interest 9 February 2019

The bees are dying at an alarming rate. Along with pesticides, parasites, and poor nutrition, scientists blame the colony collapse phenomenon on disease. However, one of the most dangerous diseases has just been shown to be quite innocent, revealing the actual threat.

To continue reading: https://www.inverse.com/article/52843-whats-killing-the-bees-really-i-mean-it

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Draft genome assembly and population genetics of an agricultural pollinator, the solitary alkali bee (Halictidae: Nomia melanderi)

Karen M. Kapheim, et al. Abstract

Alkali bees (Nomia melanderi) are solitary relatives of the halictine bees, which have become an important model for the evolution of social behavior, but for which few solitary comparisons exist. These ground-nesting bees defend their developing offspring against pathogens and predators, and thus exhibit some of the key traits that preceded insect sociality. Alkali bees are also efficient native pollinators of alfalfa seed, which is a crop of major economic value in the United States. We sequenced, assembled, and annotated a high-quality draft genome of 299.6 Mbp for this species. . . .

Now published in G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics doi: 10.1534/g3.118.200865

To continue reading: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/465351v1

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Honey Bees Can Do Simple Math, After a Little Schooling

Bees are impressive creatures, powering entire ecosystems via pollination and making sweet honey at the same time, one of the most incredible substances in nature. But it turns out the little striped insects are also quite clever. A new study suggests that, despite having tiny brains, bees understand the mathematical concepts of addition and subtraction.

To test the numeracy of the arthropods, researchers set up unique Y-shaped math mazes for the bees to navigate, according to Nicola Davis at the The Guardian. . . .

To continue reading: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/honey-bees-can-do-simple-arithmetic-after-little-schooling

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How to teach a honeybee to do math

Vicky Stein When most people picture math lessons, they imagine pencils, paper and desks, not sugar-water rewards and tiny mazes. But one group of cognitive scientists isn’t teaching arithmetic or calculus to high school students. They’re training bees to perform simple addition and subtraction.

Despite their “miniature brains,” the insects harness . .

To continue reading: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/how-to-teach-a-honeybee-to-do-math

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Insect pollinator conservation policy innovations at subnational levels: Lessons for lawmakers

Damon M. Hall and Rebecca Steiner

Abstract

Global insect pollinator declines are caused by human behaviors of land uses, habitat alteration, pesticides, and others. Policies—as mutually agreed-upon limits to behaviors to achieve shared values—are necessary for addressing complex social-ecological problems like declines of insect pollinator diversity and abundance. Despite scientific calls and public outcry to develop policy that addresses declines, multi-state agreements have not delivered such legislation nor met basic monitoring needs recommended by experts. In the absence of . . .

Source: Environmental Science & Policy Volume 93, March 2019, Pages 118-128

To continue reading: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901118311389

—— ARS microscopy research helps unravel the workings of a major honey bee pest

US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE – AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE

Research by scientists at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the University of Maryland released today sheds new light — and reverses decades of scientific dogma — regarding a honey bee pest (Varroa destructor) that is considered the greatest single driver of the global honey bee colony losses. Managed honey bee colonies add at least $15 billion to the value of U.S. agriculture each year through increased yields and superior quality harvests.

The microscopy images are part of a major study showing that the Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) feeds on the honey bee’s fat body tissue (an organ similar to the human liver) rather than on its “blood,” (or hemolymph). This discovery holds broad implications for controlling the pest in honey bee colonies. . . .

To continue reading: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-01/udoa-amr013019.php

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Study Catalogs Pollinator-Protection Efforts of State Governments

Researchers at the University of Missouri have catalogued every pollinator protection policy enacted by state governments from 2000-2017. The resulting database of information provides an opportunity to study how lawmakers in 36 states have addressed the issue with 109 pieces of legislation that take varying approaches to the problem of pollinator decline. “We are seeing encouraging policy innovations, but there is no momentum in state legislatures to adequately monitor this crisis,” Assistant Professor Damon Hall said. “Wild pollinating insects, like native bees, are wildlife to be managed like any other kinds of wildlife, and that means we need data to track population declines and to start experimenting with different types of land-use programs.”

Source: https://attra.ncat.org/study-catalogs-pollinator-protection-efforts-of-state-governments/

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Plant biologists identify mechanism behind transition from insect to wind pollination

David Timerman

New research by scientists at the University of Toronto (U of T) offers novel insights into why and how wind-pollinated plants have evolved from insect-pollinated ancestors.

Early seed plants depended on wind to carry pollen between plants, but about 100 million years ago, flowering plants evolved to attract insects that could transfer pollen with greater precision than random air currents. Although insect pollination is more economical, numerous lineages have since reverted back to wind pollination, leaving many biologists to question why that would ever happen given the success of insect pollination. This apparent paradox perplexed even Charles Darwin, and still today, little is known about the conditions initiating this transition.

In a study published this month in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the researchers describe for the first time a mechanism driving this reversion . . .

To continue reading: https://www.biophotonics.world/magazine/article/679/plant-biologists-identify-mechanism-behind-transition-from-insect-to-wind-pollination ——

Mobile-phone microscope detects the ‘silent killer’ of honey bees

UCLA Engineering Institute for Technology Advancement

Bees are among the most important species responsible for pollinating about one-third of the world’s food supply, with their contribution in the United States alone valued at $15-20 billion each year. Rapid declines in honey bee colonies globally, and in the United States specifically, have put increased strain on agricultural pollination and the future of food security. Parasites form one of the factors affecting bee population declines, with Nosema ceranea and Nosema apis being some of the most common. . . .

To continue reading: https://phys.org/news/2019-01-mobile-phone-microscope-silent-killer-honey.html#jCp

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Detective Dog Sniffs Out Devastating Honeybee Disease

Cherese Cobb

Maryland’s chief apiary inspector has trained her Labrador to inspect hives for harmful bacteria

Sure, dogs may not always wear capes, but they have a superpower — their superior sniffers. “They have up to 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses, versus only about 6 million for us. The part of their brains dedicated to interpreting smell is about 40 times larger than ours,” says Michael Nappier,an assistant professor at the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. . . .

To continue reading: http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/articles/entry/detective-dog-sniffs-out-devastating-honeybee-disease

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See the West’s overlooked pollinators — like never before

Luna Anna Archey

During the government shutdown, countless federal employees are still quietly doing their jobs, with or without the guarantee of back pay. Sam Droege is one of them. But even when he’s on vacation, you’re likely to see him working, wandering along the cliff sides and waving a net.

Droege, who has worked on many wildlife surveys for the U.S. Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland, says he often gets curious looks from puzzled passersby. Hikers stop to question him: “What, are you out catching butterflies?” No; actually, he’s out collecting bees. . . .

To continue reading: https://www.hcn.org/articles/photos-see-the-wests-overlooked-pollinators-like-never-before ——

How black soldier fly larvae can demolish a pizza so fast

Susan Milius

It all started with the can’t-tear-your-eyes-away video of black soldier fly larvae devouring a 16-inch pizza in just two hours. Watching sped-up action of the writhing mass inspired mechanical engineer Olga Shishkov of Georgia Tech in Atlanta to see what makes these insects such champions of collective feeding.

An individual Hermetia illucens larva doesn’t eat steadily . . .

To continue reading: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/how-black-soldier-fly-larvae-can-demolish-pizza-so-fast

—— FROM CATCH THE BUZZ: 1. ANNOUNCING AN INCREDIBLE BEEKEEPING JOB IN CONNECTICUT AT A VERY UNUSUAL LOCATION

From the Editor: Before I moved to Ohio for this position, I lived for a time in Connecticut. My background was in horticulture, and there was a job opening just down the road at White Flower Farm, certainly a Mecca for anyone in the field of producing ornamentals. It was a seasonal position, and lasted only several months, but I applied for the job, and was hired by Eliot Wadsworth, who was then the guy in charge. He also had, If I recall, a hand in producing the magazine HORTICULTURE, which was required reading for anyone trying to get ahead in this field. I got to build green houses, raise all manner of perennials, spring bedding plants, and potted ornamentals, plant bulbs….it was the job of a lifetime and I still brag to those who know about such things that I used to work there.

Eliot is still there . . .

To continue reading: https://www.beeculture.com/catch-the-buzz-announcing-an-incredible-beekeeping-job-in-connecticut-at-a-very-unusual-location

Grasshoppers and Mormon Crickets are Overrunning 17 States, and Public Input is Needed

WASHINGTON, February 1, 2019 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) seeks public comment on a draft . . .

To continue reading: https://www.beeculture.com/catch-the-buzz-grasshoppers-and-mormon-crickets-are-overrunning-17-states-and-public-input-is-needed

Ohio Researchers and Industry Leaders Working to Stop Insecticide Use During Bloom

Misti Crane Ohio State News It’s about time for the annual mass migration of honey bees to California, and new research is helping lower . . .

To continue reading: https://www.beeculture.com/catch-the-buzz-ohio-researchers-and-industry-leaders-working-to-stop-insecticide-use-during-bloom

New Zealand Honey Packer Accused of Adulterating Manuka Honey in First of its Kind Trial

Alan Harman

A New Zealand company that exports manuka honey to the United States, Australia, Canada, Singapore, South Korea . . .

To continue reading: https://www.beeculture.com/catch-the-buzz-new-zealand-honey-packer-accused-of-adulterating-manuka-honey-in-first-of-its-kind-trial

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FROM ABJ EXTRA:

Hot Bees and Hard Work Make Honey, But Can Insulation Help?

Honey bees collect flower nectar to make honey, but that is only the beginning. This new study, by a researcher at the University of Leeds published by the Royal Society, shows that they can need more than 50% of the energy in the nectar they have collected to evaporate the nectar into honey.

The nectar found by honey bees is typically 80% water . . .

To continue reading: https://mailchi.mp/dadant.com/february-5-2019-hot-bees-and-hard-work-make-honey-but-can-insulation-help