From: Pest Control Technology
In a research essay published recently in the Journal of Economic Entomology, Robert Owen argues that human activity is a key driver in the spread of pathogens afflicting the European honey bee and recommends a series of collective actions necessary to stem their spread.
Entomological Society of America
As reported by the Entomological Society of America, in the search for answers to the complex health problems and colony losses experienced by honey bees in recent years, it may be time for professionals and hobbyists in the beekeeping industry to look in the mirror.
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April 21, 2017
From: Sidney Herald
By Renée Jean Sidney Herald
Beth Eiring, quarantine and nursery specialist for the Montana Department of Agriculture, is among those on the front lines of the fight for bee health in Montana, a state which typically ranks in the top five in the U.S. for honey production.
“Bees are livestock,” Eiring said. “Treat them that way. Treat for varroa mites. Inspect them every week or couple of weeks. The days of just throwing them on the back 40 and having production are gone.”
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April 20, 2017
From: Genetic Literacy Project
Matt Ridley
[GLP Editor’s note: Matt Ridley is a columnist for The Times (UK), a member of the House of Lords and the author of “The Evolution of Everything”.]
The European Commission’s blinkered approach to insecticides shows how basic science is losing out to lobbyists and bureaucrats
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April 19, 2017
From: Capital Press
Bills imposing new dairy, forestry regulations fail
Mateusz Perkowski
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Finally, the committee allowed Senate Bill 929, which would have restricted the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, to die without comment.
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However, critics said that classifying neonicotinoids as restricted use pesticides could steer people to more toxic pesticides that are harmful to people as well as insects.
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April 18, 2017
From: The Australian
Matt Ridley
Is the European Commission determined to dim the Enlightenment? I ask this because its behaviour in one specific instance goes so utterly with dogma and against evidence as to suggest that there is no longer even a pretence of respect for reason left in Brussels. It concerns bees.
April 17, 2017
From: Entomology Today
By Meredith Swett Walker
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A study published in March in the Journal of Economic Entomology examines whether honey bees specially bred to be “mite-resistant” might be the solution to Varroa infestations. Researchers at the USDA’s Carl Hayden Bee Research Center compared Varroa mite populations in hives of the Russian honey bee, a stock of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) that has been selected (or bred) for its resistance to Varroa, with mite populations in hives of honey bees that have not been selected for mite-resistance. Previous studies have shown that Russian bees have lower levels of Varroa infestation than do unselected lines of European honey bees. This study measured mite populations in the hives, but it also measured the numbers of foraging worker bees with mites on them that went in and out of hives—a variable that proved to be crucial.
April 14, 2017
From: Genetic Literacy Project
Iida Ruishalme
Hobby beekeeping is very common. A European Bee Health Report found that in many countries, the majority of beekeepers pursue the activity as a hobby. … They note that improving expertise and education are likely good ways to improve honey bee health.
They may be on to something. In fact, in the past months two scientific publications – a large European surveillance study, and an essay in Journal of Economic Entomology – turn the spotlight on bee management, holding handling factors, like the lack of appropriate treatment, largely accountable for the spread of bee mites and diseases.
April 13, 2017
From: Yahoo News
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“P.E.I. was Varroa Mite-free up until a few years ago when a cottager who had a place in Ontario bought his bees from Ontario,” she said.
“Within a year they had Varroa Mite across the entire province.”
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April 12, 2017
From: Entomology Today
The Varroa destructor mite (shown above attached to bee) is a widespread parasite of European honey bees (Apis mellifera). Poor management practices have enabled the spread of V. destructor and other bee pathogens, an Australian bee researcher argues. (Photo credit: Stephen Ausmus, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org)
In the search for answers to the complex health problems and colony losses experienced by honey bees in recent years, it may be time for professionals and hobbyists in the beekeeping industry to look in the mirror.
April 11, 2017
From: The Sentinel
Suzanne Pollak
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When mites go undetected, they can destroy a whole colony, and a backyard beekeeper may not even know what happened. And, because these mites can travel up to 2 miles, beekeepers may eradicate the mite from their yards, only to find them right back there again, van Engelsdorp said.
After someone treats a hive, “a month later, they are through the roof,” he said of the number of mites.
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April 10, 2017
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