News from the world of beekeeping

MODESTO, Calif., Jan. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Preceding the start of the annual almond pollination season in February, the California almond community is launching a new five-point Pollinator Protection Plan. A collection of important initiatives aimed at protecting bees during almond bloom and beyond, this new plan reaffirms the industry’s long-standing commitment to researching, protecting and improving honey bee health. . . .

To continue reading: https://www.streetinsider.com/PRNewswire/California+Almond+Community+Announces+Five-Point+Pollinator+Protection+Plan/16334609.html ❀ Miles of Lines, Miles of Monarch Habitat

There is a new and urgent focus among electric and gas utilities to reconsider their land management practices in light of declining insect populations worldwide. This includes the iconic orange-and-black monarch butterfly, which may be listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as soon as next year. Given its extensive range across the entire lower 48 states, a protected status for the monarch butterfly could lead to new restrictions, project delays, and increased costs from regulatory consultations. However, it also represents an opportunity . . .

To continue reading: https://www.tdworld.com/vegetation-management/article/21120418/miles-of-lines-miles-of-monarch-habitat ❀

Pollinator Partnership’s Bee Friendly Farming to Work with the Almond Board of California Sustainability Program

We are excited to announce a new partnership with the Almond Board of California. In this new partnership, we are working with the Almond Board of California Sustainability Program’s bee health module to integrate our Bee Friendly Farming program. Through this partnership, we will join forces to . . .

To continue reading: https://mailchi.mp/e77b8900cee4/pollinator-action-team-update-2502677?e=a2ebd4dfe1 ❀ The hidden cost of almond milk: ‘Exploited and disrespected’ bees are dying by the billions

Almonds, blended and strained in substantial quantities to satisfy our collective thirst for nut milk, have travelled a great distance to become a coffee shop staple.

Native to the Tian Shan Mountains of Central Asia, California’s Central Valley produces more than three-quarters of the world’s supply. Grown in mega-farms wholly reliant . . .

To continue reading: https://nationalpost.com/life/food/the-hidden-cost-of-almond-milk-exploited-and-disrespected-bees-are-dying-by-the-billions ❀

USDA Honey Bee Research Facility opens at UC Davis

[Opening ceremony has passed.] Staff from the United States Department of Agriculture and UC Davis were buzzing with excitement this week as a ribbon-cutting for the federal agency’s Honey Bee Research Facility took place.

Located on Bee Biology Road near the main UCD campus, the Tuesday event included speakers from the USDA and the university as well as a tour of the labs. Part of the Invasive Species and Pollinator Health Research Unit, Dr. Arathi Seshadri and Dr. Julia Fine, who will be leading efforts at the site, were introduced to the dozen or so attendees.

Seshadri explained what their research will focus on: . . .

To continue reading: https://www.dailydemocrat.com/2020/01/09/usda-honey-bee-research-facility-opens-at-uc-davis/ ❀

Experience-dependent tuning of early olfactory processing in the adult honey bee, Apis mellifera

Christopher M. Jernigan, Rachael Halby, Richard C. Gerkin, Irina Sinakevitch, Fernando Locatelli, Brian H. Smith

Journal of Experimental Biology 2020 223: jeb206748 doi: 10.1242/jeb.206748 Published 6 January 2020

ABSTRACT

Experience-dependent plasticity in the central nervous system allows an animal to adapt its responses to stimuli over different time scales. In this study, we explored the impacts of adult foraging experience on early olfactory processing by comparing naturally foraging honey bees, Apis mellifera, with those that experienced a chronic reduction in adult foraging experience. We placed age-matched sets of sister honey bees into two different olfactory conditions, in which animals were allowed to forage ad libitum. In one condition, we restricted foraging experience by placing honey bees in a tent in which both sucrose and pollen resources were associated with a single odor. In the second condition, honey bees were allowed to forage freely and therefore encounter a diversity of naturally occurring resource-associated olfactory experiences. We found that honey bees with restricted foraging experiences had altered antennal lobe development. We measured the glomerular responses to odors using calcium imaging in the antennal lobe, and found that natural olfactory experience also enhanced the inter-individual variation in glomerular response profiles to odors. Additionally, we found that honey bees with adult restricted foraging experience did not distinguish relevant components of an odor mixture in a behavioral assay as did their freely foraging siblings. This study highlights the impacts of individual experience on early olfactory processing at multiple levels.

To read: https://jeb.biologists.org/content/223/1/jeb206748

❀

Bushfire-affected beekeepers appeal for more access to unburnt national parks

Sarina Locke, Kelly Fuller and Jessica Clifford

Key points:

Beekeepers are desperate to find new nectar and pollen sources after bushfires burn native flowering gums
NSW apiarists say it will take up to 10 years for honey production to recover from the fires
There is concern also for Australia’s $1 billion
Beekeepers are mounting a campaign for greater access to national parks in New South Wales after catastrophic fires destroy millions of hectares of flowering trees in regular foraging areas.

almond industry, which is totally reliant upon bees for cross-pollination

They expect it could take between five and 20 years for some flowering gums to fully recover, and to produce enough nectar and pollen to feed the bees.

Stephen Targett from the NSW Apiarists Association said . . .

To continue reading: https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2020-01-10/fire-affected-beekeepers-appeal-for-access-to-national-parks/11854886

❀

Pollinator‐mediated facilitation is associated to floral abundance, trait similarity and enhanced community‐level fitness

Pedro Joaquim Bergamo Nathália Susin Streher Marina Wolowski Marlies Sazima

https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13348

Abstract

1.Pollinator‐mediated processes (biotic filtering, facilitation or competition) are often inferred by patterns of plant reproductive trait diversity (clustering or evenness of reproductive traits within the community). However, one single pattern can be generated by distinct processes, making difficult to predict the main process of community assembly. Incorporating fitness estimates should improve the link between pattern and process.

2.We investigated patterns of flowering phenology and reproductive traits (floral color, floral size and anther height) along the season of a pollinator‐depauperated and generalized community. We used data on fitness (pollen receipt and number of pollen tubes) to provide a functional link between trait patterns and assembly mechanisms. We also investigated if the degree of co‐flowering depended on the floral abundance and pollination functional group (fly‐, bee‐, hummingbird‐pollinated and generalist species) of the plant species.

3.High floral abundance in the flowering season was associated with low trait diversity in the community. Both features increased fitness at the community‐level. This indicates that similar species are benefited at periods of high floral abundance, probably due to the joint attraction of generalist pollinators in this pollinator‐depauperated community. In general, rare species flowered more synchronously with the community than abundant ones, although distinct patterns emerged depending on the floral trait and pollination functional group. Furthermore, species highly synchronous and possessing similar floral color in relation to the community had higher fitness indicating that facilitative mechanisms act favoring flowering synchrony and trait similarity.

Synthesis

Patterns of flowering synchrony and floral trait similarity indicate pollination facilitation in the studied community. Plants benefited from co‐flowering with species possessing similar floral color via shared pollinator attraction. Thus, we empirically demonstrated some of the predictions of community assembly theory.

To continue reading: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1365-2745.13348

❀ Bees’ Movements May Lead To New Swimming, Flying Robots

NSF Public Affairs

Walking on Caltech’s campus, engineer Chris Roh happened to see a bee stuck in the water of Millikan Pond. Although it was a common sight, it led Roh and his colleague Mory Gharib to a discovery about the unique way bees navigate the interface between water and air.

The incident occurred around noon, so the overhead sun cast the shadows of the bee — and, more importantly, the waves churned by the flailing bee’s efforts — directly onto the bottom of the pool.

As the bee struggled to . . .

To continue reading: https://scienceblog.com/513351/bees-movements-may-lead-to-new-swimming-flying-robots/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+scienceblogrssfeed+%28ScienceBlog.com%29

❀

Healthy Hives 2020 Hosts Symposium at American Beekeeping Federation Conference

LOUIS, Jan. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Healthy Hives 2020, a multi-year, $1.3 million research initiative of Bayer and Project Apis m. to improve honey bee health, today conducted a symposium at the annual American Beekeeping Federation (ABF) conferencein Chicago.

The symposium, moderated by well-known pollinator researcher Dr. Steve Sheppard of Washington State University, featured presentations on Healthy Hives 2020 projects, a panel discussion exploring ways to help solve problems facing commercial beekeepers, and interactive project demonstrations for ABF attendees.

“The Healthy Hives 2020 research program has made significant progress toward finding new and innovative ways to improve honey bee health,” said Danielle Downey, executive director of Project Apis m., which . . .

To continue reading: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/healthy-hives-2020-hosts-symposium-210000377.html

❀

A hive of knowledge Robin FitzClemen

Entomologist Judith Maxwell can’t seem to stay away from insects. Although technically retired, she still collects and studies them. More specifically, she collects bees. Her season begins in March, at which point she gathers her things and heads for eastern Oregon’s Siskiyou Mountains, near the California border.

“Bumblebees are the earliest bees to emerge. They’re really hairy, it’s like they’ve got on a fur coat,” Maxwell said.

As a volunteer for the Oregon Bee Project, Maxwell is part of a group dedicated to studying Oregon’s busiest pollinators. She devotes her time to them because, in spite of the vastness of human knowledge, we know little about wild bees—and the ways humans may be driving them to extinction.

Armed with insect nets and jars, Maxwell and . . .

To continue reading: https://www.dailyemerald.com/news/a-hive-of-knowledge/article_b0a2dfd6-317e-11ea-aae7-1ff3919501dd.html

❀

Gardening: Now’s the time to research plant seeds for your garden

Nancy Szerlag

f you’re jumping on the pollinator gardening bandwagon, you may want to try your hand at growing plants from seed. I will be giving tips from time to time to help you along, but now is a good time to do some research on what and how to grow, and seed catalogs are a great place to start

Here are some of the seed catalogs on my fave list: . . .

To continue reading: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/columnists/nancy-szerlag/2020/01/16/gardening-nows-time-research-plant-seeds-your-garden/4456853002/

❀

AG Criticizes EPA Over Pesticide Approval

Simon Tambling

SACRAMENTO — California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed comments today criticizing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its inadequate risk assessment of the pesticide flonicamid despite evidence that the pesticide would cause significant harm to pollinators, such as bees.

Flonicamid, manufactured by the Japanese corporation ISK Biosciences (ISK), is currently . . .

To continue reading: https://patch.com/california/orange-county/ag-criticizes-epa-over-pesticide-approval

❀

WHAT ROBBING LOOKS LIKE

Dan Wyns

Most new beekeepers find out about robbing the hard way when they either spend a little too long poking around in colonies at the wrong time of year, arrive in a bee yard already to find a frenzy of activity around hive entrances, or encounter the aftermath in the form of dead colonies and empty hives. Robbing can be particularly bad in the late summer and fall when several conditions align, leading to high potential for robbing. These triggering conditions include . . .

To continue reading: https://beeinformed.org/2020/01/15/what-robbing-looks-like/

❀

The temporal dimension of the ‘alien attack’ in plant-pollinator communities

British Ecological Society Press Office

A new study, published in Journal of Ecology, shows for the first time that both alien plants and alien pollinators influence the organisation of ecological networks over time; yet the causes and consequences for the local communities are widely dependent on the trophic level of the invasion. . . .

To continue reading: https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/temporal-dimension-alien-attack-plant-pollinator-communities/

❀

Pollinator resolutions for 2020

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Pollinator conservation can seem like a daunting task at first, but everyone can take small steps to create a positive impact for these beneficial insects, birds, and mammals. By taking intentional actions towards safeguarding pollinators, in addition to continued learning- we can create a more inviting and pollinator friendly landscape. We hope you will join us in our pollinator conservation and outreach efforts for 2020.

Pick and choose from the following list of Pollinator Resolutions: . . .

To continue reading: https://www.morningagclips.com/pollinator-resolutions-for-2020/

❀

Farmers Plant Milkweed for Native Pollinator Habitat

Tim Hammerich

Farmers rely on pollinating insects to help produce our food. Some conservation groups are working with California farmers to bring back native pollinator habitat. Cannon Michael is one of those farmers, and the President of Bowles Farming Company.

Michael…”By working with some biologists, I came to realize that some of those areas had degraded and didn’t have as much of the native plant species that we would have liked to have seen. And at the same time, we had been obviously aware of issues with pollinators . . .

To continue reading: https://www.aginfo.net/report/44910/California-Ag-Today/Farmers-Plant-Milkweed-for-Native-Pollinator-Habitat

❀

Aussie scientists need your help keeping track of bees (please)

Bees get a lot of good press. They pollinate our crops and in some cases, make delicious honey. But bees around the world face serious threats, and the public can help protect them.

Of more than 20,400 known bee species in the world, about 1,650 are native to Australia. But not all bees found in Australia are native. A few species have been introduced: some on purpose and others secretly hitchhiking, usually through international trade routes.

As bee researchers, we’ve all experienced seeing a beautiful, fuzzy striped bee buzzing about our gardens, only to realise it’s an exotic species far from home.

We need the public’s help to identify the bees in Australian backyards. There’s a good chance some are not native, but are . . .

To continue reading: https://theconversation.com/aussie-scientists-need-your-help-keeping-track-of-bees-please-128932

❀

One Of The Rarest Honeys In The World Comes From This Hawaiian Island

Chelsea Davis

If you’ve taken a stroll through the honey section at any gourmet store, chances are you’ve seen a variety of expensive honeys ranging in taste, flavor, texture and color. It’s crazy to think that there are over 300 types of honey worldwide, each produced by the incredible honeybees that play an enormous role in the pollination of our ecosystem.

One of the rarest honeys in the world hails from the Big Island, more specifically a 1000-acre forest named Puako which doubles down as a natural bee habitat. The forest is home to Kiawe, a desert mesquite tree that is native to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, which was introduced . . .

To continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/chelseadavis/2020/12/30/the-rarest-honey-in-the-world-comes-from-this-near-extinct-tree-in-hawaii/#6fc4d472112c

❀

Can science replace the bee?

Donna Gates

Some plants, like Conifers and many deciduous trees, are pollinated by wind. Members of the grass family, including rice, corn, wheat, oats and barley, also rely on wind to carry pollen from one plant to another. Other plants require the assistance of animals, such as birds, bats, butterflies, beetles, wasps, flies and bees.

By far, bees (native or honey bee) do the majority of moving pollen from one flower to another. Bees are hairy little critters and pollen is attracted by electrostatic forces to the bee’s body. Bees are after pollen (high in protein) and nectar as food sources, but by going from one flower to another pollen is inadvertently transferred from flower to flower.

This relationship between insect and plant has been perfected over billions of years. Although most . . .

To continue reading: https://www.times-news.com/news/slice_of_life/can-science-replace-the-bee/article_51a70a06-351f-54af-ab18-26e31ccae37f.html

❀

Bee native

by Kristina Lefever

I was in Los Angeles for a few days recently, and how different it is from where we live! Different is an understatement, right?

Granted, my wandering consisted of a 15 minute Uber ride for a few (organic) items for my hotel refrigerator, but I saw enough to know that few places — and far between — provide support for native pollinators and birds in that huge metropolis. Maybe all the gardens are up with honey bee hives on rooftops?

I was quite happy to leave the City of Angels behind and return to our beautiful valley, with people who care about preserving our open spaces before they are gone. Because that’s the conundrum, is it not? People move to a place because of how it is … and it ends up how it was. . . .

To continue reading: https://ashlandtidings.com/lifestyle/ashland-pollinator-connection-bee-native

❀

Georgia Beekeepers Association’s efforts lead to ‘Save the Honeybee’ license plate

Denise M Hatcher

“Save the Honeybee” license plates are now available for Georgia drivers to purchase, thanks to the efforts of the Georgia Beekeepers Association (GBA).

“The idea of the honey bee tag had been tossed around for over a decade among members of the Georgia Beekeepers Association, but due to the cost and amount of work it would require, the idea was tabled numerous times,” said Jennifer Berry, an apiculture research professional and lab manager for the University of Georgia Honeybee Program.

Finally, a group of enthusiastic members of the GBA decided it was time . . .

To continue reading: https://www.caes.uga.edu/news-events/news/story.html?storyid=8233&story=Honeybee-Tags

❀

The signal of human-caused climate change has emerged in everyday weather, study finds

Andrew Freedman

For the first time, scientists have detected the “fingerprint” of human-induced climate change on daily weather patterns at the global scale. If verified by subsequent work, the findings, published Thursday in Nature Climate Change, would upend the long-established narrative that daily weather is distinct from long-term climate change.

The study’s results also imply that research aimed at assessing the human role in contributing to extreme weather events such as heat waves and floods may be underestimating the contribution.

The new study, which was in part motivated by . . .

To continue reading: https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/01/02/signal-human-caused-climate-change-has-emerged-every-day-weather-study-finds/?et_cid=3149408&et_rid=79887736&utm_campaign=SoT-23734&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Science_on_Tap

❀ FROM CATCH THE BUZZ:

Pollinators in Action: Flowering Journeys

Call for Art for ‘Pollinators in Action: Flowering Journeys’ Submissions due Feb. 1 – April 15 for exhibit that runs May 6 – June… Read on » 2. Helping Honey Bees Survive

Helping Honey Bees Survive Richmond County Daily Journal By: Paige Burns – CED, Horticulture It’s widely known that honey bees and other pollinating insects… Read on » 3. Couple Wins Beekeeper of the Year!

Couple Wins W.Va. Beekeeper of the Year Award By Eric Hrin | Times West Virginian Otto and Amy Kaiser display their plaque they were awarded… Read on » 4. Without Honey Bee Pollination Produce Sales Can’t Grow

With Sales Soaring, Kroger & Walmart Focus on Produce US grocers are freshening up their produce sections to draw in more health-conscious shoppers, as… Read on » 5. Beekeeping Safari in the Caribbean

Bee Keeping a Growth Industry in Caribbean, As It Declines in US By: Snr-Editor When the International Monetary Fund projected recently that Guyana’s economy… Read on » 6. Aussie Fires Destroy Bees.

Bees and the Australian Fires Posted on January 5, 2020 by Ron Miksha Australia is on fire. When I heard about the thousands of people… Read on » 7. Almond Orchards and Sustainable Beekeeping

Change is Constant By: John Miller ,Professional Beekeeper We are told change is a constant. Change, constant change is certainly true in beekeeping and… Read on » 8. A Powerful Sting

Asian Giant Hornets That Eat Honeybees and Have ‘Powerful Sting’ Discovered In Washington For First Time! By: Kashmira Gander Officials in Washington have advised… Read on » 9. EPA Approves Fungicide Delivered by Honey Bees

EPA Approves New Fungicide to be Delivered by Honey Bees EPA has been a hive of activity regarding the declining bee population. The agency… Read on » 10. Dead Bees, Total Devastation

‘This is Total Devastation’ Magic Valley Bees Dying in Droves “It’s devastating,” Tony Kaneaster of Kaneaster Apiary said. “This is just totally devastating. They… Read on » 11. Pesticides- Cannot Eliminate Short Term Hazards

Study Finds EU Moratorium of Persistent Bee-Toxic Pesticides Cannot Eliminate Short-Term Hazards (Beyond Pesticides) Five years after three neonicotinoids were banned for use on bee-attractive crops… Read on » ❀ FROM ABJ EXTRA:

Honey Bee Researchers Target Grooming Gene in the Indiana Mite-biter Strain With virus vectoring Varroa mites in about 90% of US honey bee colonies most beekeepers, especially commercial, rely on some form chemical compound or miticide like amitraz to eradicate them. This recent publication demonstrates that Indiana mite-biting bees have decreased winter mortality compared to some commercially available stocks many commercial and hobbyist beekeepers rely on. The mite-biter colonies survived three times higher than the Italians in this study conducted at Purdue University. Beekeepers can help reduce the population of varroa with the mite-biter bee that researchers are breeding to resist them. But even more significant was Nerexin-1 gene expression correlated with the proportion of mutilated mites from the mite-biting bees’ mandibles. Some say “breeding for resistance to varroa mites is like breeding sheep to resist wolves,” but sheep cannot kill wolves – bees can certainly kill mites. . . . To continue reading: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13592-019-00710-y.pdf?utm_source=American+Bee+Journal 2. Asian Hornet Found in Washington State

Chris McGann This month, WSDA entomologists identified a large hornet found near the Canadian border as an Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia), an invasive species not previously found in Washington State. . . . To continue reading: https://mailchi.mp/dadant.com/abj-extra-december-23-2019-asian-hornet-found-in-washington-state?e=d476a0d684

❀