Farmers trying to protect canola from cabbage seed pod weevil may cut their own yield if pollinators get caught in the crossfire.
Tag Archives Pollinators
The trade-off of spraying for cabbage seed pod weevil
Farmers trying to protect their canola from insect pests may end up slicing their own yield if pollinators get caught in the crossfire
B.C. company pitches bee health tool
ApiSave says product will boost bee immunity to overcome health challenges
Honeybee hive loss has been a problem for Canadian beekeepers. B.C. company ApiSave thinks their bee health product could help make more robust, resilient bees.
COMMENT: How honeybees can help us monitor pollution across Canada
The honey produced by the tireless work of the honeybee is nothing short of an untapped goldmine of environmental data that could help us better understand the spread of environmental pollutants.
Research weighs value to farm from field edges
Researchers hope to weigh whether the value of a ditch or shelterbelt, which is prime pollinator habitat, outweighs the weed or disease risk
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researchers in Saskatchewan hope to weigh whether the value of a ditch or shelterbelt, which is prime pollinator habitat, outweighs the weed or disease risk.
Creating a pro-pollinator farm
Limiting tillage and creating habitat for beneficial insects can pad the producer’s bottom line
Limiting tillage and creating habitat for beneficial insects like pollinators can pad the producer’s bottom line
The wild side of pollination
More is better when it comes to bee diversity: researcher
Flowering plants have developed a few ways to move their pollen around, and thus protect their genetic diversity. Many grasses are wind-pollinated and, as a backup for their long-shot pollination method, can self-pollinate to bring about the next generation. If you’re a broadleaf plant, you’re likely putting animals to work, whether that’s birds, insects or
Comment: Bee clustering knowledge based on faulty guidance
Honeybees cluster together when it’s cold but we’ve been completely wrong about why
Honeybees in human-made hives may have suffered the cold unnecessarily for over a century because commercial hive designs are based on erroneous science. For 119 years, a belief that the way honeybees cluster together provides a kind of evolutionary insulation has been fundamental for beekeeping practice, hive design and honeybee study. In the modern day,
Comment: Honeybee lifespan could be half what it was 50 years ago: study
A number of factors are likely contributing to this perceived decline
A new paper shows how the lifespan of the adult honeybee appears to have shrunk by nearly 50 per cent in the past 50 years. The European Red List of Bees suggests nearly one in 10 species of wild bees are facing extinction. Imagine how we would react if human lifespans halved. The equivalent would
Another bad season for bees
Experts explore the reasons for bee population declines -- and ways to mitigate the problem
Beekeepers reported high losses over the winter and experts are exploring the reasons and seeking ways to mitigate future colony declines. Ian Steppler, president of the Manitoba Beekeepers Association, said Manitoba’s losses this year are extremely high. “We’re nearly at a 60 per cent loss right across Manitoba right now, the highest loss in Canada
Pollinators key to canola crops’ success
Your busy little unpaid employees make it all possible
Canola producers often partner with beekeepers because the bees are an effective way to pollinate canola blossoms and increase the seed production. The bees collect the pollen as a protein-rich food and sip nectar to make honey, a handy way to store energy. Making pollen and nectar is a lot of work for the plant
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
