By Andrea Germanos Beekeepers this year in the United States reported the second highest annual loss of managed honey bee colonies since records began in 2006, according to results of a nationwide survey released Wednesday. The non-profit Bee Informed Partnership (BIP) said in its preliminary…
By Janine Mendes-Franco On May 20, the world marks the fourth annual World Bee Day via a virtual event hosted by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, guided by the theme “Bee engaged—Build Back Better for Bees.” Bees play an important role in pollination,…
The lives of honeybees are shortened – with evidence of physiological stress – when they are exposed to the suggested application rates of two commercially available and widely used pesticides, according to new Oregon State University research. In a study published in the journal PLOS…
Trees, shrubs and woody vines are among the top food sources for honey bees in urban environments, according to an international team of researchers. By using honey bees housed in rooftop apiaries in Philadelphia, the researchers identified the plant species from which the honey bees…
By John Vibes Beekeeping can be fun and rewarding, but it is also a bit more complicated than it looks, and often takes a lot of time and practice to master. One of the most interesting mistakes that a new beekeeper can make is leaving…
By Mayukh Saha Two Detroit locals have taken a sweet initiative to fight inner-city urban blight by taking abandoned lots and converting them into full-fledged urban bee farms. Detroit Hives, a non-profit organization, has been working towards both honey bee conservation and city refurbishment since…
By Sara Tipton Before deciding to get into beekeeping, it’s important to know what you’re signing up for. It may seem daunting, but beekeeping comes down knowing the basics. If you’ve considered getting a colony or more of bees, make sure you figure out the…
By Derek Mitchell, University of Leeds Honey bees are under extreme pressure. The number of honey bee colonies in the US has been declining at an average rate of almost 40% since 2010. The biggest contributor to this decline is viruses spread by a parasite,…
By Jessica Corbett Pointing to the deaths of more than half a billion bees in Brazil over a period of just four months, beekeepers, experts, and activists are raising concerns about the soaring number of new pesticides greenlighted for use by the Brazilian government since…
By Tyler Durden Bee apocalypse has unfolded in four of Brazil’s southern states in 1Q19. More than half a billion bees died earlier this year, in a short period, experts are suggesting that pesticides are likely to be blamed, reported Bloomberg. Around half a billion bees…
By Alex Pietrowski There is a time bomb ticking away that spells disaster for human beings and the quality of life on planet earth. We’ve been watching and waiting, covering this story for years, and the more time goes by the more bad news keeps…
By John Vibes In recent years, the world has finally begun to take notice of the drastically declining bee populations, and people are starting to understand the impact that this could have on the ecosystem. Slowly, people who care are working to correct this problem…
By Mayukh Saha Over the past few decades, bees have been disappearing. The number of honeybees in America is only half of the population that existed fifty years ago. Many species are on the verge of becoming extinct. While no one reason can be pointed…
By Elias Marat While the role played by honeybees and wild bees as important pollinators is well known, the bumblebee also plays a crucial role in maintaining the health and viability of crops such as chili peppers and tomatoes. And now, researchers at the National…
More “intensive” beekeeping does not raise the risk of diseases that harm or kill the insects, new research suggests. Intensive agriculture – where animals or plants are kept crowded together in very high densities – is thought to result in higher rates of disease spreading….
By Elias Marat The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has suspended its annual surveys of the honeybee population as the federal agency increasingly turns toward representing big agricultural interests rather than regulating them. Citing the need for budget cuts, the Trump administration’s suspension of the…
By Arjun Walia In Brief The Facts: The Environmental Protection Agency recently announced “emergency” approvals to spray sulfoxaflor — an insecticide considered “very highly toxic” to bees — on nearly 14 million acres of crops known to attract bees. Reflect On: Why do corrupt federal…
By Tyler Durden The total number of honey bee colonies across Europe plunged 16% over the winter 2017–18, according to COLOSS (Prevention of honey bee COlony LOSSes), an international, non-profit organization based in Switzerland, tasked with the goals of protecting honey bees. Allison Gray, the lead researcher…
By Elias Marat The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted “emergency” clearance to sulfoxaflor – an insecticide that, by the agency’s own admission, is considered “very highly toxic” to bees. Sulfoxaflor will be used on over 16 million acres of crops that are attractive to bees….
Up to 13% of US beekeepers are in danger of losing their colonies due to pesticides sprayed to contain the Zika virus, new research suggests. Zika – claimed to cause severe brain defects in unborn children – is alleged to be spread by mosquitoes, so…
