Tag: bees
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Bumble Bee Decline to Affect Agricultural Crops
A recent study has reportedly confirmed a massive die-off in four North American bumble bee species, raising concerns about the effects on agricultural crops and native plants. Sydney Cameron, et al., “Patterns of Widespread Decline in North American Bumble Bees,” PNAS, January 3, 2011. Led by University of Illinois Entomology Professor Sydney Cameron, researchers examined…
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Fungal-Viral Combination Eyed in Colony Collapse Disorder
A recent study has homed in on a possible explanation for colony collapse disorder (CCD), a mysterious ailment behind the destruction of honeybee hives worldwide. Jerry J. Bromenshenk, et al., “Iridovirus and Microsporidian Linked to Honey Bee Colony Decline,” PLoS One, October 2010. Researchers apparently found that a combined fungal and viral infection led to…
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States Set “Pure Honey” Standards; National Standard Sought
North Carolina has reportedly become the most recent state to adopt a definition for “pure honey” that beekeepers hope will get fake honey off the market. Because Americans consume some 350 million pounds of honey annually, but domestic producers produce just 150 million pounds, there is apparently a financial incentive for importers and others to…
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USDA Announces Ambitious Honey Bee Research Initiative
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced an ambitious research effort “to determine the prevalence of parasites and disease-causing microorganisms that may be contributing to the decline of honey bee colonies nationwide.” According to a June 7, 2010, news release, the agency’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Agricultural Research Service (ARS)…
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USDA Survey Generates Buzz on Honeybee Health
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Bee Research Laboratory has released the preliminary results of a survey estimating that honeybee colony losses nationwide “were approximately 29 percent from all causes from September 2008 to April 2009,” touching off speculation about the fate of the ubiquitous pollinator. Federal investigators reported that only 15 percent of all…
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NYC Lifts Prohibition on Urban Beekeeping
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has reportedly revised Health Code Article 16 to allow residents to keep Apis mellifera hives within the city limits. Previously outlawed as too dangerous or venomous for urban life, the common honeybee is currently cultivated by hundreds of clandestine city beekeepers, many of whom quietly…
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Study Credits Family of Viruses in Decline of Honeybee Population
A recent study has reportedly suggested that multiple viruses are responsible for the increase of colony collapse disorder (CCD) among global honeybee populations. Reed M. Johnson, et al., “Changes in transcript abundance relating to colony collapse disorder in honey bees (Apis mellifera),” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, August 2009. According to researchers, “Microarray analysis…
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USDA Proposes Creation of U.S. Honey Producer Board
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has issued a proposed rule and referendum procedures that would establish “a new U.S. honey producer funded research and promotion program” in accordance with a U.S. Honey Producer Research, Promotion and Consumer Information Order submitted May 24, 2007, by the American Honey Producers Association (AHPA). Representing…