From: FayObserver.com
By Deuce Niven
Correspondent
TABOR CITY – Bee colony collapse disorder, a phenomenon with worldwide implications for agriculture and food supplies, is getting attention in a schoolwide project at South Columbus High.
Two active hives are in place on campus, and there are plans for more, teachers Ronald Carteret and Jennifer Spivey said.
Every class has a role to play in researching the disorder, where worker bees seem to suddenly disappear from a hive.
“It’s a team effort,” Spivey said. “In our biology class, for instance, our kids will be trying to redesign the hive in a way to better keep out pests.”
October 14, 2013
From: Farmers Weekly (U.K.)
David Jones
Many scientists believe the varroa mite is more important than pesticides in hitting bee numbers, so one big agrichemical group is looking at ways to control the pest. David Jones reports.
Bayer is close to launching a product to improve bee health as the well-being of these pollinators has taken centre stage with a ban on neonicotinoid pesticides.
The two-year curb on some of these chemicals due to a possible link with bee health has left many oilseed rape growers in a quandary on how to control autumn pests.
October 11, 2013
From: Radio New Zealand
Australia is one of the few places in the world still free of the varroa mite but it’s gearing up for the day the devastating honey bee parasite hits its shores.
It has lifted a seven-year ban on bee imports as part of its efforts to prepare for any outbreak of the pest, which attacks bee colonies and is rampant in many of the world’s honey production areas, the ABC reports.
Federal Department of Agriculture spokesperson Andrew Cupit told the Country Hour programme resistant bees would be brought into Australia to help strengthen local colonies.
October 9, 2013
From: Weekly Times Now
Emma Field
THE first shipment of queen bees into Australia in seven years is due to arrive next week.
But the bee importer said the stringent conditions put on the shipment by the federal Department of Agriculture may discourage further imports.
And this would make Australia more vulnerable to the varroa mite, an external parasite that has devastated overseas bee populations but has yet to be found here.
Australian Queenbee Exporter owner Warren Taylor of Blayney in NSW is bringing in from Canada 10 queen bees that are tolerant to varroa mite. They will be held at the Eastern Creek quarantine facility.
October 7, 2013
From: Smithsonian Magazine
Posted By: Joseph Stromberg
New tests show that diesel pollutants reduce bees’ ability to smell flowers, potentially playing a role in Colony Collapse Disorder. Image via ColorfulFoxes
The importance of bees in our food system often goes unappreciated. Just by going about their daily business, these insects are responsible for pollinating three-quarters of the 100 crop species that provide roughly 90 percent of the global food supply. The most recent estimate for the economic value of this bee activity is that it’s worth over $200 billion.
October 4, 2013
From: Minnesota Public Radio
by Dan Gunderson
RICHVILLE, Minn. — For more than a century, Mark Sundberg’s family has had bee hives on the family farm.
In a good year, Sundberg Apiaries produces 800 barrels of honey, or about half a million pounds. But a bad year can cut its production in half — and recent years have largely been bad.
Honeybees are in trouble and their population is steadily declining — in part because of the increasing use of pesticides and a drop in the number of flowering plants. A growing problem is the prevalence of a pest called varroa mites, tiny parasites that attack bee larvae and adult bees in the hives.
October 2, 2013
From: Lund University
A Lund University research team has made an astounding discovery – bees have a battery of healthy bacteria in their honey stomach that protects them. Giving these lactic acid bacteria back to bees boosts their natural immune system, helping them fight off disease.
WATCH VIDEO STORY HERE
CCD, or Colony Collapse Disorder, is a mysterious mass death of honey bees that has wiped out 10 million beehives worldwide in the past six years. Around two-thirds of the global food supply depends on bee-pollinated crops. It is believed a combination of pesticides, parasites, poor nutrition, and the stress of large-scale pollination is weakening bees’ immune systems, making them susceptible to disease.
September 30, 2013
From: Sydney Morning Herald
John Thistleton
The first queen bees to arrive in Australia for seven years are expected to bring significant benefits and risks to the bee industry.
Ten queens are awaiting clearance from Canada, which has varroa mite, pictured below, a blood-sucking parasite in all major honey-harvesting countries except Australia, and which is rated as one of the nation’s greatest biosecurity threats.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said introducing new bee genetics will improve production of hives and build resistance against pests and diseases.
September 27, 2013
From: Forbes
Jon Entine
Science and politics don’t mix well. In the United States, we’re witnessing rancorous policy debates over shale gas extraction (i.e. fracking) and GMOs in our foods. But in Europe, the hottest issue is the health of honeybees. And the ugly public discussion is lapping onto our shores.
Bees pollinate 80 percent of our flowering crops, which constitute about one third of everything we eat. On December 1, a European wide ban takes effect on the use of three chemicals collectively known as neonicotinoids, which guard against insect infestation. The two-year restriction was voted into law last April after a split vote by the European Commission in response to public fears that ‘neonics’ were the source of a rash of bee deaths reported in some countries.
September 25, 2013
From: Manitoba Co-operator
by Terry Daynard
The Ontario Bee Association and the Sierra Club of Canada is seeking a ban on treating seeds with neonicotinoid insecticides.
But science and statistics do not support their position.
Consider the following:
Statistics Canada data show that the number of honey bee colonies was up, not down, in both Ontario and Canada in 2012. While some beekeepers have experienced excessive losses in recent years, most have not, including many with hives immediately adjacent to fields where neonicotinoid-treated corn has been planted. On the Prairies, home to 80 per cent of honey production and usage of neonicotinoids (also used to treat canola) is much higher than in Ontario, there has been no linkage between neonics and bee deaths.
September 23, 2013
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