Bee stewardship award open for nominations

Bee stewardship award open for nominations

Pollinator protection measures on Canadian farms and ranches are to be recognized with a conservation award

Are you or someone you know taking steps to protect pollinators on a farm or ranch in Canada? Then you should consider applying for the 2016 Canadian Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award, a program that’s a joint undertaking of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), Pollinator Partnership (P2), and Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA). Individuals


A new study of 75 bee colonies across Scotland suggests one of the so-called “neonics” may not be like the others in its potential risk to bumblebees.


Study finds not all neonics equal when it comes to risks to bees

Clothianidin, the active ingredient in Poncho and Prosper, may have got a bad rap

A group of chemical insecticides known as neonicotinoids that has been banned in Europe due to fears about potential harm to bees has been found in new research to have very differential risks for bumblebees. Scientists who conducted the research said their findings showed that at least one neonicotinoid in the banned group — clothianidin



bees

Beehives to go high tech

A so-called smart beehive could change how apiarists manage their colonies and treat mites

We have smart phones, smart cars and even smart fridges. Now, Allan Campbell is preparing to launch the smart beehive. “We are still in the prototype phase, but we hope to have the first ones out this summer. So far it hasn’t left the lab yet,” said the co-owner of Durston Honey Farms and president

Solitary nesting bees, like this native leafcutter bee, will get better houses that will augment their numbers through a University of Manitoba open competition.

Building a better beehive

The University of Manitoba has opened an international competition aimed at giving bees better housing

Wild bees need homes too. That’s the simple idea behind an international design competition opened by the University of Manitoba on Mar. 1. The competition hopes better housing for the beleaguered insects will help address a pressing biological issue — their declining numbers. Bee houses were chosen as the focus of the competition because they


(Photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

France moves toward all-out ban on neonics

Paris | Reuters — French lawmakers approved plans for a total ban on some widely used pesticides blamed for harming bees, going beyond European Union restrictions in a fierce debate that has pitched farmers and chemical firms against beekeepers and green groups. The EU limited the use of neonicotinoid chemicals, produced by companies including Bayer

(Stephen Ausmus photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Regulatory reviews show slim risk to bees from imidacloprid

Label directions and rules for foliar and on-seed use of imidacloprid pesticides should either prevent or limit the risks to honeybees and other pollinators from the chemical, Canadian and U.S. regulators say in a new early-stage risk assessment. Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday released