From: ScientificBeekeeping.com Newsletter
By Randy Oliver
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I’ve posted four new articles. The first is about moving forward on breeding for mite resistant bees–it’s been 30 years since varroa arrived, and most beekeepers are still dealing with it with “flyswatters and bandaids.”
Striking a Deal with Varroa
I then move on to how beekeepers can help move us toward using naturally mite-resistant stock. The first article is geared for larger-scale producers; the second to sideliners and recreational beekeepers.
Bee Breeding for Dummies
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April 7, 2017
From: Good Fruit & Vegetables
A BIG threat to the profitability of pollination dependent crops is heading Down Under, but a there’s a potential fix on hand which could deliver wins all round for farmers, the environment and the community.
Feral European honey bees donate no paltry amount of pollination to Australian growers, and all at no cost. Now, Varroa mite, a deadly international invader threatens to derail the free service.
Read Complete Article
April 6, 2017
Editor’s Note: For more information on the crucial role of scientists in saving bees and supporting agriculture, see here, here and here.
From: Bozeman Daily Chronicle
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A parasitic mite with the apt name “varroa destructor” came to North America from Asia in the 1980s and decimated bee populations, she said. Like a tick, the mite sucks the bees’ equivalent of blood and spreads viruses.
The National Science Foundation just awarded Flenniken, 41, a five-year Career Grant of more than $500,000 to support her research on the “Honey Bee Antiviral Defense Network.”
April 5, 2017
From: Genetic Literacy Project
Richard Levine
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Part of what made the report so unusual was that it was not written by a team of bee specialists or by independent entomologists, and it excluded any input or even a review from wild bee experts. Instead, this “comprehensive review of all literature” was written by a single author with no training or background in entomology.
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“This assessment does not state methods or data sources; not currently credible,” noted Emily May, a pollinator conservation specialist at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, the country’s premier bee research institution.
April 4, 2017
From: YDR.com
York Daily Record
A team of Harrisburg-area students brought powdered sugar and an infrared camera to a York County beekeeper’s hives in hopes of dislodging and counting varroa mites. Chris Dunn, York Daily Record
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The students, ranging from fourth through ninth grades, are competing in FIRST LEGO League, a STEM-driven challenge for which they identify and try to solve a real-world problem involving animals. After researching varroa mites, which plague bee colonies, the team hypothesized that forcing powdered sugar into a bee hive would irritate the mites off the honeybees and that they could use an infrared camera to detect displaced mites on the bee hive’s bottom board.
April 3, 2017
From: Bangor Daily News
By Peter Cowin, Special to the BDN
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The parasitic varroa mite has been a real problem for beekeepers, and it seems to be getting worse. It is becoming vital to treat for mites and check to see whether the treatments have worked.
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March 31, 2017
From: RealAgriculture.com
The House of Commons Agriculture Committee sent a letter to the federal Health Minister last week outlining concerns about Health Canada’s proposed ban of imidacloprid, one of the three main neonicotinoid seed treatments used by farmers.
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The letter, signed by Ag Committee chair and Liberal MP Pat Finnigan, asks Minister Jane Philpott to consider several concerns regarding the proposed decision:
- Concerns about transparency and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency’s re-evaluation process:
“…concerns have been raised about the lack of transparency of PMRA’s re-evaluation process. More specifically, dialogue with the registrant was not pursued once potential risks had been identified. Witnesses suggested that dialogue with the registrant and other stakeholders should be initiated earlier in the process, before a decision is published, to allow for scientific input and new data to be obtained.”
March 30, 2017
From: Genetic Literacy Project
Emma Downing & Gabrielle Grimwood | House of Commons Library
[GLP Editor’s note: The following is a briefing paper on bees and neonicotinoids by the House of Commons Library, a library and information resource of the lower house of the British Parliament.]
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The UK government did not consider that the evidence merited this action, but abided by the restrictions, although its granting of emergency authorisations for neonicotinoid use in 2015 prompted concern in some quarters that it might seek to overturn the restrictions.
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March 29, 2017
From: Sandy Journal (Utah)
Published by Julie Slama
Winning a state championship in any activity isn’t easy and defending the title can even be harder, but Beehive Academy’s Beehive Robotics team did just that.
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Tying their project to the First Legos theme of “Animal Allies,” the team created the “Bee Safe” application after contacting several nurseries, Utah State University bee lab, Wasatch Beekeepers Association and others to learn that a lot of Varroa mites are attacking honey bees, weakening the bees and causing widespread wing virus that can lead to the death of a honeybee colony. The app, which the team members filed for a patent, identifies which plants are safe or harmful to the spreading of the Varroa mites.
March 28, 2017
Editor’s Note: The EU’s neonicotinoid ban has been an environmental catastrophe for Europe and the globe, see here.
From: FG | Insight
The likelihood of a total ban on neonicotinoids has been criticised by leading crop experts.
While the decision is still being considered, industry leaders and British farmers slammed the decision for its reliance on political judgement and its increasing damage on food and farming.
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“There is still no evidence to suggest that restricting neonicotinoids helps bee populations, but it certainly harms farming and food production.”
– Sarah Mukherjee
Read Complete Article
March 27, 2017
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