From: NAB Business Research and Insights (Australia)
Bees that pollinate crops (worth an estimated $4 billion) are under threat from a devastating pest, the Varroa mites. It leaves them vulnerable to disease and weakens entire colonies and has invaded every beekeeping country except Australia.
“Our bees directly pollinate crops and some, such as apples, pears, cherries and almonds, would completely disappear without them,” says beekeeper Lindsay Bourke. “As Varroa is right on our doorstep I believe that biosecurity is more important in our industry than any other.”
June 17, 2015
From: Crop Protection News
by Katelyn Kivel
Sue McCrum, president of American Agri-Women, said there is more emotion than science in the realm of pollinator protection.
While McCrum was generally pleased with the recent White House report on pollinator health, she remains concerned about how it will be used going forward, especially in light of recent trends in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports and judgments.
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June 15, 2015
From: Australian Broadcasting Corporation | Rural
By Sally Dakis
A pure strain of Italian bees found on a tropical Pacific island could be the bee bank of the future.
The abandoned colony of bees was discovered on Niue Island 16 years ago and it is believed the colony has been on the island for 30 years.
New Zealand beekeeper Andrew Corey said the bees were free of major diseases including the destructive varroa mite, which has made its way to New Zealand.
June 12, 2015
From: The Western Producer
By Robert Arnason
Ontario’s provincial government is no longer satisfied with muzzling its own experts. It now wants to muzzle the media.
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Several sources, inside and outside of Ontario, have told me that the province is muzzling its experts on pesticides, bees and Integrated Pest Management.
They said provincial scientists aren’t speaking about neonics, or anything connected to neonics, because public comments could jeopardize their careers.
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June 10, 2015
From: New Haven Register
By Mary O’Leary
NEW HAVEN >> A local scientist told agricultural experts Tuesday that the collapse of bee colonies remains a complicated issue, but she does not believe that exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides is the “smoking gun” that explains the losses.
Kimberly Stoner, an entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experimental Station, addressed the issue in a gathering of agriculture officials from 10 Northeastern states in New Haven.
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June 10, 2015
Editor’s Note: The complete study, “Varroa destructor changes its cuticular hydrocarbons to mimic new hosts,” by Y. Le Conte, Z. Y. Huang, M. Roux, Z. J. Zeng, J.-P. Christidès, A.-G. Bagnères is available here. The study’s raw data is available here.
From: Entemology Today
Varroa mites, one of the most serious threats to honey bees worldwide, are infiltrating hives by smelling like bees, according to a new study appearing in Biology Letters.
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June 8, 2015
From: Iowa Public Radio
By Lindsey Moon & Ben Kieffer
Host Ben Kieffer talks with Iowa’s State Apiarist Andrew Joseph and Jerry Hayes, who heads Monsanto’s bee research.
Late last month, the White House released a strategy to try to protect pollinators, aiming to grow bee populations across the country in the next 10 years. As a part of that plan, there’s been talk of limiting pesticide use and developing products to help beekeepers combat the varroa mite.
June 5, 2015
Editor’s Note: For an English translation, please see here. The Buzzing Gardens website is available in French, Précieuses abeilles and English, Bees Matter.
TORONTO, le 3 juin 2015 /CNW/ – Aujourd’hui marque le lancement de Jardins bourdonnants, un programme national mis de l’avant par Précieuses abeilles et offrant à tous les Canadiens la possibilité d’obtenir des semences gratuites pour établir des jardins accueillants pour les pollinisateurs. Les producteurs agricoles, les apiculteurs et plusieurs organismes agricoles se sont unis pour protéger la santé des abeilles et ont pris des mesures visant à améliorer leur accès à des sources d’aliments nutritifs.
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June 5, 2015
From Montreal Gazette
Re: “Protecting the pollinators” (Montreal Gazette, May 29)
Readers should know that neonics, or neonicotinoids, are among the safest insecticides available. As neonics are applied directly to the seed, the amount used is considerably less than what is used when farmers have to spray an entire field. Because the seed is planted directly into the ground, beneficial insects, like bees, are less exposed to the product.
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June 4, 2015
From: ThisWeek Community News
By GARY SEMAN JR.
Franklin County is leading the charge on repopulating the state’s honeybees, despite a slight downturn last year. 
Franklin County was No. 1 with 329 apiaries in 2014, followed by Cuyahoga County, a distant second with 234, according to the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
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June 3, 2015
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