(Photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Field studies fuel dispute over whether neonics harm bees

London | Reuters — Two major studies into how bees are affected by a group of pesticides banned in Europe gave mixed results on Thursday, fuelling a row over whether the neonicotinoid pesticides are safe. The studies, one conducted across three European countries and another in Canada, found some negative effects after exposure to neonicotinoids

Honeybee numbers and production appear to be rebounding.

Honeybee colonies and production are up

Mitigation measures implemented in 2014 appear to be working

Steps taken to protect honeybees from crop protection products appear to be working. The number of honeybee colonies and their level of production has been rising since 2013, according to testimony to the Senate agriculture committee. Andrea Johnson, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) director general of sector development told the committee the most recently available






(Photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. honeybee losses soar over last year, USDA finds

Reuters — Honeybees, critical agents in the pollination of key U.S. crops, disappeared at a staggering rate over the last year, according to a new government report that comes as regulators, environmentalists and agribusinesses try to reverse the decline. Losses of managed honeybee colonies hit 42.1 per cent from April 2014 through April 2015, up

bee on a flower

Shorter winter favours honeybees

Some high overwintering losses may be attributed to inexperience and not the winter weather

While it’s too early to know for certain, this year’s shorter winter has all the hallmarks of overwintering success for Manitoba beekeepers. “I would expect good overwintering success,” said Allan Campbell, president of the Manitoba Beekeepers’ Association, adding that winter is a key factor for Prairie apiarists. “The winter conditions, I expect that to make

bees

Neonics are in the picture, but they’re not the whole picture

The varroa mite is still the top concern for beekeepers, in the eyes of one expert, 
but other factors can’t be ignored either

It’s a question many both inside and outside of agriculture are asking — why are so many honeybees dying? While some culprits have been fingered, experts say it’s not a problem that can be solved with a silver bullet. “It’s very tempting to come up with easy answers, and if anything is clear, it’s that


Honeybee with microchip on its back.

Australian scientists microchip honeybees

Scientists will use tweezers to glue on the sensors, weighing about five milligrams

Australian scientists are gluing tiny sensors onto thousands of honeybees to track their movements in a trial aimed at halting the spread of diseases that have wiped out populations in the Northern Hemisphere. Scientists at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia’s national science agency, said the microchips could help tackle so-called colony