colony collapse disorder
EPA study: Pesticides hurting endangered species
Nearly all of the 1,782 animals and plants listed under the Endangered Species Act are at risk from the two most commonly used pesticides, according to a new EPA report.
France advances bill to ban neonicotinoids
France’s National Assembly narrowly passed a total ban on neonicotinoids, a class of pesticides that has been implicated in the Colony Collapse Disorder that has devastated honeybee populations, says Reuters.
Researchers say a fly is turning honeybees into “zom-bees”
To add to the list of woes facing honeybees, researchers have discovered a parasite that burrows into drones, making them act rather like members of the living dead before they die.
Mechanical pollination is not the bee’s knees
A test of mechanical pollination of almond trees by a University of California farm adviser indicates that it's better to stick with bees, says Western Farm Press.
Breeding honeybees that bite back
Parasites such as the varroa mite are high on the list of suspects for the high mortality rate of honeybees, vital in pollinating a third of the food eaten by people.
‘Neonic’ pesticide is risk to honeybees, says EPA assessment
Imidacloprid, a widely used neonicotinoid pesticide, is a potential threat to honeybee hives as well as individual bees when used on crops that attract pollinators, the EPA said in a preliminary risk assessment.
Researchers seek ways to boost honeybee numbers
Federal and private-sector scientists are looking at a variety of steps to help the honeybee population recover from a startling drop off in population. Winter losses average more than 30 pct, double the rate a quarter-century ago. There were 3 mln colonies in 1987 and 2.5 mln colonies now with a shorter avg lifespan.