From: TechCrunch
by John Mannes
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Varroa mites are a nightmare for bees and their keepers. They attach themselves to bees and quite literally suck the life out of them. Left unchecked, they can destroy entire colonies. The trick is that bees need continuous monitoring, and traditional methods of identifying Varroa are time-consuming. Varroa multiply exponentially and they can only be stopped if they’re caught early.
This is where the group’s machine learning proficiency comes into play. Because the red mites contrast strongly against the back of the bees, an object recognition algorithm can be used to quickly check batches of bee images for the pests.
May 5, 2017
From: Greenhouse Grower
Find Out What Bell Nursery Learned About Bees While Keeping Beehives
By: Laura Drotleff
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Over a two-year period, we had the hives tested for a wide array of chemicals. No neonicotinoids were found in any samples. Traces of two chemicals, not found at our facility, were found at such low levels at parts per billion there could be no impact.
May 4, 2017
EPA officials stated that the agency will have metrics for its MP3 program. The agency has an intensive project underway to develop the metrics via its Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC). The PPDC established a Pollinator Protection Plan Metrics Workgroup in October 2016. The Workgroup, which has met monthly since its inception, presented its initial recommendations to the full PPDC today. The MP3 Metrics Workgroup is expected to present its final recommendation to the PPDC in November 2017.
May 3, 2017
Editor’s Note: The study, “Agricultural Landscape and Pesticide Effects on Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Biological Traits,” by Alburaki M1, Steckel SJ1, Williams MT1, Skinner JA2, Tarpy DR3, Meikle WG4, Adamczyk J5, Stewart SD1 is available here.
From: Phys.org
While recent media reports have condemned a commonly used agricultural pesticide as detrimental to honey bee health, scientists with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture have found that the overall health of honey bee hives actually improves in the presence of agricultural production.
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May 2, 2017
EPA’s Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC) is holding a meeting (May 3-4) in Crystal City, VA at which the agency’s neonicotinoid-related activities will be discussed. The agenda is available here. EPA’s slides for Session 1: Pollinator Protection: Neonicotinoids Review, Labeling, and Update from the Pollinator Protection Plan Metrics Workgroup is available here. EPA’s discussion of its work under the National Strategy to promote pollinator health will include expediting registration of varroa control products.
May 1, 2017
Editor’s Note: The EU’s neonic ban has not helped Europe’s bees and is causing environmental catastrophe in Europe and beyond as conversion of land to agricultural uses increased to compensate for lost food production.
From: NFU Online | The Voice of British Farming
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NFU Vice President Guy Smith said: “A blanket ban of neonicotinoids on outdoor crops would be devastating for farms across the country 1. The numbers of pests are rising across the country1 and dealing with these pressures is costly 2. Growing crops without these seed treatments could become very difficult.
April 28, 2017
Editor’s Note: No wonder the EU’s neonic ban isn’t helping Europe’s bees. Translation from the French via Google Translate.
From: La Nouvelle République
National Week for the Control of Varroa
From May 1st to May 8th, beekeepers from all over France, both professional and amateur, are required to practice counting varroa, “the number one enemy of bees”. This week should also be an opportunity for beekeepers to exchange on best practices against this scourge.
Read Complete Article (French)
April 27, 2017
From: Northwest Herald
Interest in beekeeping rises in McHenry County
By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN
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The No. 1 challenge local beekeepers face now is a parasite called the varroa mite, which made its first appearance in the U.S. in the late 1980s.
“It now exists in every state,” Krengel said. “There is no way to get rid of it. How to manage it is the biggest challenge.”
Read Complete Article
April 26, 2017
From: Risk-Monger
The European Commission asked its scientific arm, the Joint Research Centre, to study the effects on farmers from its disastrous 2013 precautionary ban on neonicotinoids. The JRC released its study in January and the Commission has refused to act on it or publish the results. Politico leaked a copy last week (see: http://www.politico.eu/wp-conte…/uploads/…/04/JRC-study.pdf…) that shows how farmers are suffering, spraying crops more frequently with older, less effective pestic… See More
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Part 2 of my assessment of the leaked EU Commission study on farming after neonics. . . .
As I read the pages of this internal study on the effects of the Commissions 2013 precautionary ban, I am beginning to realise what a tragic farce this has become. Tragic for farmers, tragic for the environment, tragic for bees. Because chemophobes seem to have influence in Juncker’s cabinet, the Commission is not releasing this publicly funded study.
See p 112:
http://www.politico.eu/wp-conte…/uploads/…/04/JRC-study.pdf…
April 25, 2017
From: Saveur
The honeybee, which is responsible for pollinating $15 billion of American crops, is in trouble. But a crew of crafty scientists and activists is here to help—not just our bees, but our entire food system
By Michael Snyder
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The honeybee’s single biggest enemy in the U.S. and Europe is a parasitic mite aptly named Varroa destructor, first introduced to the United States 30 years ago, when it most likely hitched a ride from its native habitat in Southeast Asia on the back of an infected queen.
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April 24, 2017
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