Article By Lisa M. Campbell Jason E. Johnston, M.S. James V. Aidala | Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.
On May 25, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of ecological risk assessments for four neonicotinoid active ingredients for public comment as well as the Registration Review Update for Four Neonicotinoid Insecticides (Update). 82 Fed. Reg. 24113. The ecological risk assessments are:
“Absolutely mites may have played a role. It’s agreed nationwide that varroa mites are the number one enemy for bee loss,” said Steve Repasky, president of the state beekeepers group, who has 125 hives and has been a keeper for 30 years. “We had healthy bees before the mite arrived. They’re are transmitting 25 different diseases and viruses.”
For the first time in a while, beekeepers have some encouraging news about bee populations, but it is still a far cry from victory in researchers’ eyes.
The preliminary results of the annual nationwide survey conducted by the Bee Informed Partnership shows that from April 2016 to April 2017 beekeepers lost 33 percent of their honeybee colonies.
Bee pollinators contribute more than $200 billion in revenue from vegetable, fruit and nut production in the U.S. To gain a better understanding of current honey bee health in Colorado, the Colorado Department of Agriculture has taken part in the National Honey Bee Health Survey for the last three years.Laura Pottorff, CDA Division of Plant Industry’s Apiary Program Manager, explains
Pottorff: “The more that we do this, the better our data becomes. It gives us a better window into what is going on with managed bees. We are seeing a number Varroa mite —which is a parasitic mite — that is high in both our commercial and hobby apiary. As well as a few other diseases, but it is the Varroa mite that we think is the most important. That is also true nationally as well. So this parasitic mite feeds on the blood or the hemolyph of the bees and it also transmits or spreads virus diseases to the bees too.”
Constant Scratching Gene Protects Bees From Lethal Mites
Grooming Gene Protects Bees from Deadly varroa mite Mites Through Constant Scratching
A gene linked to grooming could be the key to saving honeybees from the deadly varroa mite, according to new University of Guelph research.
Prof. Ernesto Guzman discovered that honeybees with higher expression of a gene linked to vigorous scratching are better at removing mites from their bodies, and more resistant to the bugs, than bees with lower gene expression.
June 12, 2017
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Surry County Cooperative Extension Office [ map ]
State Apiary Inspector Greg Fariss will be back to talk about the biology of the varroa mite (Varroa destructor). The varroa mite is currently the biggest threat to our honey bees and in order to effectively manage them in the bee yard, we need to understand about their biology and the life cycle of the female varroa in particular. Please join us for this excellent presentation.
Now, in a case study of how the EU really works, the EU is involved and is threatening to ban these pesticides. The story started several years ago in France, when the government there, keen to keep the green support to prop up the government, agreed to the green demand to ban three neonicotinoids, citing several arguments (not backed up by scientific evidence) that they affect bee populations.
BROOMFIELD, Colo. — Bee pollinators play a crucial role in natural and agricultural ecosystems and contribute over $200 billion in revenue from vegetable, fruit and nut production in the United States. To gain a better understanding of current honey bee health in Colorado, the Colorado Department of Agriculture has taken part in the National Honey Bee Health Survey for the last three years.
The exact reason why the hives were lost is unknown. Of the 239 responses received on why hives died, almost 45 percent of beekeepers reported they didn’t know what caused their hives to die. The next-highest cause was varroa mites, at almost 30 percent, and starvation at around 17 percent. “Other” reasons included weakness and mice. The survey notes many of the responses listed multiple reasons for hive loss.
