Honeybees Still Disappearing in the US
22 Jul 10 By Zulima Palacio Honeybees, which are very important to agriculture, continue to disappear at alarming rates in the United States. And the cause of this disappearance is still elusive. While at least one recent study seems to point to pesticides as the problem, the US Agriculture Department has also found parasites causing general weakness among bee colonies. Beekeepers around the country are struggling to keep their honeybees alive. According to the US Department of Agriculture the losses around the country are between 50 and 90 percent.
$100,000 endowment will aid undergraduate honeybee research
22 Jul 10 By Laura Stocker WaldhierUniversity Park, Pa. -- Penn State's efforts to address Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a nationwide phenomenon in which the adult honeybees of a hive disappear, often spelling death for the colony, will benefit from a gift of $100,000 to aid pollinator research. Honey distributor Dutch Gold Honey and William and Kitty Gamber, of Lancaster, Pa., have each contributed $50,000 to endow a fund that will support undergraduates in the College of Agricultural Sciences. First preference for the Dutch Gold Honey and William R. Gamber II Endowment in Entomology will be given to juniors and seniors involved in honeybee research.
Busy bees: Dozens of backyard beekeepers tend to their Greenwich hives
When Ray Simon walked into his backcountry Greenwich home a few years ago, his living room was filled with thousands of bees. One of the six beehives Simon kept in his yard had swarmed, poured through an open door and sounded like a "dynamo" inside his house. Simon quickly put on his beekeeping suit, opened the windows, and made the room as dark as possible to flush the bees toward light outside. A couple of hours later, when his wife got home, only a handful of bees were floating around the house.
Hive beetle threat to keepers and farmers
22 Jul 10 By Daniel BatemanBiosecurity Queensland has confirmed the small hive beetle has been located in a backyard at White Rock. The Queensland Beekeeping Association says if the pest is allowed to spread further, it could have a devastating effect on the region’s crops. The beetle has wiped out about a third of individual keepers’ hives in New South Wales and they have caused damage estimated at $10 million in Queensland.
Pest positive for beekeeper
21 Jul 10 By ROZ DAVENPORTThe varroa mite has surprisingly been welcomed by some beekeepers. James Jenkin makes a sweet living out of honey. The president of the Marlborough Beekeepers Association owns 1000-odd hives, with 170 up the Awatere and Waihopai valleys, and the remainder positioned through the Marlborough Sounds. Ninety-five per cent of his income is from manuka honey production.
Beekeepers credit healthy hives to protection from pesticides
16 Jul 10 By Matt Williams Phillip Raines was never worried when honeybees began dying off a few years ago and abandoning their hives across the country. Colony collapse disorder was a new phenomenon that seemed to be killing off honeybee populations for no particular reason, but Raines said he knew his bees would be safe.
Local beekeepers weather ups and downs of another season
15 Jul 10 By Olney Daily Mail Olney, Ill. — Despite the sticky heat of a recent June afternoon, Olney resident Mark Bunting wasn’t taking any chances, covering himself so that not an inch of skin was exposed. Besides the protective uniform, Bunting also ignited a section of burlap and placed it in a steel hand-held smoker that he would use to distract the residents of the hive he was about to disturb.
Help researchers understand colony collapse disorder - beekeepers, fill out the USDA survey
30 Mar 10 By Shelley StuartThe United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service, in conjunction with the Apiary Inspectors of America, is conducting a voluntary survey to determine the bee colony losses for the 2009/2010 winter. This survey is not just for beekeepers with huge numbers of hives, even small-scale beekeepers are encouraged to participate. The survey takes approximately two minutes, and is completely anonymous.
Honeybee crisis: Local owners working hard to survive loss of hives
30 Mar 10 By Ashley HillOn a relatively warm day in December, Fleming resident Sam Hammett decided to check on his six honeybee hives. The bees were up and moving around, so Hammett fed them a combination of sugar and water, which produces a white paste known as fondant. "I put it in jar lids, and I put that on my hives, and they were going right after that, then it got cold and I couldn't get into the hives again," said Hammett, president of the Mid-Ohio Valley Beekeepers' Association.
Experts baffled as bee population dwindles
WASHINGTON – The decline in the U.S. bee population, first observed in 2006, is continuing, a phenomenon that still baffles researchers and beekeepers. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show a 29 per cent drop in beehives in 2009, following a 36 per cent decline in 2008 and a 32 per cent fall in 2007. This affects not only honey production but around 15 billion dollars worth of crops that depend on bees for pollination.
Bee Killer Still at Large; New Evidence Makes Pesticides a Prime Suspect
26 Mar 10 By Todd HuffmanThis spring, many beekeepers across America opened their hives and found ruin within. At a time when they should have been buzzing with activity, the hives were half-empty, with most adult bees having flown off to die. A new federal survey indicates that 2010 has been the worst year so far for bee deaths. Another study suggests that pesticides might be to blame for the mass wipeout of adult honeybees.
Bihar’s Queen bee and her swarm
26 Mar 10 By Santosh Singh Patiasa village in Muzaffarpur district is a hive of activity where Anita Kumari keeps as busy as a bee as she spearheads a revolution of sorts. Tending honeybees in as many as 250 boxes with the women of the village by her side — they fondly call her ‘queen bee’— to harvest honey for supply to a number of firms outside the village.
Bee Shortage Stings Farmers
25 Mar 10 By Katie Jeffries A shortage of honeybees could sting for farmers. As Ohio is coming into spring, Ohio farmers are noticing some of their honeybees did not make it through the winter. Local farmers have reported losing up to 50% of their hives.
North American Bees Are in Even More Trouble After a Bad Winter
25 Mar 10 By The crisis of the disappearing honeybees, which has baffled scientists for four years now, is getting worse. A federal survey indicates a heavy bee die-of this winter, and at the same time, a new study shows that honeybees' pollen and hives are laden with pesticides. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture, and regulators in both California and Canada are feverishly working to figure out what is behind the threat, and are now ordering up new research to be conducted on pesticides used in fields and orchards. The federal courts have also stepped into the equation, ruling that the EPA overlooked a requirement when allowing a pesticide on the market. Chemists at a scientific conference in San Francisco will also be tackling the issue of chemicals and the shrinking bee population in response to the new study.
Honeybee die-off continues
25 Mar 10 By Pam GouldIn October of 2008, MoreMarin posted a story about a mysterious mass die-off of honeybees, called Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD. Entire hives of honeybees, arguably one of nature's hardest workers, were simply dying and there was no single explanation for the cause. Fast forward nearly two years and the problem has not abated. In fact, according to this just published article, it's gotten worse. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/inmarin/detail?&entry_id=59882#ixzz0l1Y5NE00
Pesticides Eliminating Bees Quickly
24 Mar 10 By redorbit.comA federal survey has discovered more honeybees died off this winter, and another study revealed honeybees' pollen and hives are burdened with pesticides, according to a recent Associated Press (AP) report. Two federal agencies and regulators in California and Canada, which are all trying to find what is behind this relatively recent threat, have ordered new research on pesticides used in fields and orchards.
More Africanized bees found in southern Utah
24 Mar 10 By MIKE STARK (AP)SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - State agriculture officials say they've found about 100 colonies of Africanized honey bees in southern Utah in the year since the bees' arrival was announced. But they say the finds don't necessarily mean the bees are spreading rapidly. More than likely, the increase is largely because crews are looking harder for the bees and getting more reports from residents.
Honeybees Stung by Bad Winter, Pesticides
24 Mar 10 By Mary Papenfuss(Newser) – Beleaguered honeybees are having a harder time than ever before after an especially harsh winter and heavy pesticides discovered in their hives and pollen. A massive die-off of the valuable creatures is topping off 4 years of troubling population declines. Scientists are trying to nail down the exact mechanism causing their decline, but suspect it's linked to the weather and toxins. The honeybee population and its pollinating function is vitally important to the food supply. One third of the human diet comes from plants that require honeybee pollination.
The buzz biz: Saving the bees
Over the last three years, more than 50 billion honeybees have died, victims of the menacingly named "colony collapse disorder." This sad fact has been the center of much consternation (and, in some circles, out and out panic) as the fate of the bees is inextricably linked with our own. The most important pollinators on Earth, bees are integrally linked to our food supply and their possible demise would be nothing short of apocalyptic, as no bees would eventually mean: no people.
Best buys for beekeepers
24 Mar 10 By Jean VernonA little knowledge First, learn the ropes. Bees are living creatures and their care demands expertise and time. Join your local beekeeping association. Most groups run courses for beginners over the winter, usually followed up with a mentoring scheme of some sort where beginners can learn the many rituals involved in handling bees. It's the best way to learn. Talk to as many different beekeepers as possible.
Bees in more trouble than ever after bad winter
24 Mar 10 By GARANCE BURKE and SETH BORENSTEIN (AP) MERCED, Calif. — The mysterious 4-year-old crisis of disappearing honeybees is deepening. A quick federal survey indicates a heavy bee die-off this winter, while a new study shows honeybees' pollen and hives laden with pesticides. Two federal agencies along with regulators in California and Canada are scrambling to figure out what is behind this relatively recent threat, ordering new research on pesticides used in fields and orchards. Federal courts are even weighing in this month, ruling that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency overlooked a requirement when allowing a pesticide on the market.
2010 and what about the bees?
22 Mar 10 By Craig CmehilOver the weekend out with the camera I came across this little guy working away and I realized it’s been quite awhile since I’ve heard anymore about the issues with “bees” that we are having. Do you remember those issues?
Ag Options grant will help with Russian honeybee project
22 Mar 10 By Britt Combs There's been a lot of buzz about the decline of honeybee population in the past few years. Bees face a lot of pressures in North America, including parasites, drought and invasions by Africanized honeybees. Ray Revis, a McDowell beekeeper and president of the McDowell Honeybee Chapter of the N.C. State Beekeepers Association, makes his living breeding queens to supply to farmers throughout America. This year he received a $6,000 Ag Options grant to support his work raising and supplying Russian honeybees.
Honey Bees Disappearing: Still A Problem
The 2010 prognosis for honey bees doesn't look good, according to Jeff Pettis, Research Leader at the USDA Bee Lab. Although hard data won't be available until April, preliminary surveys of our nation's beekeepers suggest that at least as many bee colonies have died off over the winter as they have the last few years -- and possibly even more than in years past -- thanks to Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD.
NYC beekeepers abuzz with excitement over new law
18 Mar 10 By Jill Blocker The buzz of a honey bee can be frightening to some, but beekeepers and environmentalists fear it would be scarier if the insect becomes silent. Honey bees have diminished nearly 90 percent in some areas since late 2006, but New York City vowed to help their survival, as lawmakers passed a vote to legalize beekeeping in its five boroughs.
Honey Bees Disappearing: Still A Problem
The 2010 prognosis for honey bees doesn't look good, according to Jeff Pettis, Research Leader at the USDA Bee Lab. Although hard data won't be available until April, preliminary surveys of our nation's beekeepers suggest that at least as many bee colonies have died off over the winter as they have the last few years -- and possibly even more than in years past -- thanks to Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD.
