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