(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