Insect ecology Archives - Page 2 of 2

NFU sees moratorium on neonicotinoids

The Senate committee is studying the importance of bees to food production in Canada

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff May 14, 2014

The National Farmers Union (NFU) appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry May 1 to call for a five-year moratorium on the use of neonicotinoids on corn and soybeans in Ontario. The Senate committee is currently studying the importance of bees and bee health in the production of honey, food and seed

Crops, News

Treated corn seed linked to bee kills, Health Canada urges farmers to use best practices

By Alex Binkley May 7, 2013

Government issues list of 25 best practices to lower the risk of contamination  instead of following Europe’s lead and banning neonicotinoid insecticides

Another round of “bee incidents” last year has prompted Health Canada to issue an updated list of mitigation measures to corn farmers who may have inadvertently killed the pollinators. A severe death rate during planting season in 2012 has been linked to a dry spell and widespread use of nitro-guanidine neonicotinoid insecticides on corn seed.

Forages, Livestock, News

Caffeine gives bees a buzz that improves their memory

March 28, 2013

Scientists have shown that caffeine improves a honeybee’s memory and that helps the plant recruit more bees to spread its pollen. Publishing in Science the researchers show that in tests, honeybees feeding on a sugar solution containing caffeine, which occurs naturally in the nectar of coffee and citrus flowers, were three times more likely to

Crops, Oilseeds

Study finds wild bees boost crop yields

By Victoria Paterson March 16, 2013

Wild bees and other pollinating insects can make quite a difference when it comes to crop yields, according to a new study. “Our message is not that honeybees are bad — it’s that we could do better if, in addition, we were encouraging more activity by wild insects,” said Lawrence Harder, a professor of biological

Crops, Livestock, News

Shelterbelts the bee’s knees for pollinators

By Daniel Winters August 10, 2012

Bees and insect predators can help boost yields and cut losses, but farmers have to provide a good home

Shelterbelts don’t just keep topsoil from blowing way. They also provide homes for pollinator species, a group that includes butterflies, beetles, birds, wasps, flies – and even monkeys in some countries. But far and away the most effective of all are the bees, said Mark Wonneck, an ecologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. “They are

Country Crossroads, News

Discoloured counters? Paint on denim?

By Reena Nerbas June 16, 2012

Hello Reena, I would like to thank you for all your work in helping us live green! I have read a tip on getting rid of ladybugs. Where I live everyone encourages them in their gardens to eat aphids. I have always known ladybugs to be beneficial insects. What do you think? — Rose Dear

Crops

Bee Deaths May Signal Wider Pollination Threat

By Alister Doyle March 24, 2011

Mass deaths of bee colonies in many parts of the world may be part of a wider, hidden threat to wild insect pollinators vital to human food supplies, a UN study indicated March 10. Declines in flowering plants, a spread of parasites, use of pesticides or air pollution were among more than a dozen factors

News

Bee Facts

February 10, 2011

Pollinators – such as bees, butterflies and bats – are responsible for the continued existence of more than 70 per cent of the world’s flowering plant population. From the production of hybrid canola seed in southern Alberta to the pollination of blueberries in the Maritimes and British Columbia, honeybees are the primary managed pollinator for

Country Crossroads, Forages

Leafcutter Bees Are Valuable Pollinators – for Aug. 19, 2010

By Lillian Deedman August 19, 2010

Alfalfa seed growers employ leafcutter bees to profitably pollinate their crops by putting shelter houses with nesting boxes throughout the field in rows. The shelters’ entrances face southeast to avoid the west winds and to receive the warmth of the morning sun. Each nesting box has countless tunnels, where after mating, the female lays about

Country Crossroads

Make Your Habitat Wildlife Friendly

By Sarah Coulber June 10, 2010

If you’re like me, you love listening to the sweet song of birds or catching a glimpse of a brightly coloured butterfly fluttering by. There is so much beauty to enjoy in the natural world – and so much to benefit from, too. For instance, insects such as bees and butterflies are important worldwide for

Daily Network News

U.S. grains: Corn, soybeans higher in technical bounce; wheat firms

Bring focused approach to target systems, not producers says animal activist

Canada’s Food Price Report shows meat, pantry goods prices expected to rise “a lot” in 2026

Tag Archives Insect ecology