honeybees
High annual honey loss rate – four of every 10 colonies
Nearly four of every 10 colonies of honey bees die annually, a markedly high rate, according to surveys of beekeepers designed to gauge the welfare of a prominent species for plant pollination. Losses have averaged 37 percent over the past five years.
Neonicotinoid not the sole villain in honeybee losses
A widely used insecticide, the neonicotinoid imidacloprid, "does not significantly harm honey bee colonies at real-world doses," contrary to concerns that neonics, as they are called, are to blame for population declines, says a University of Maryland study.
Shelve neonicotinoids, foodmakers tell administration
Some 118 foodmakers, including Clif Bar, Nature’s Path, Organic Valley and Stonyfield, called on the Obama administration to suspend immediately the use of neonicotinoid pesticides on grounds they are driving down honeybee populations.
Ontario proposes limits on “neonic” pesticides
The provincial government of Ontario proposed a three-point initiative to reduce use of corn and soybean seed treated with neonicotinoid pesticides by 80 percent by 2017, to reduce over-wintering deaths of honeybees by 15 percent by 2020 and to develop a comprehensive plan for pollinator health, says the CBC.
Beekeepers to get more than half of $40 million disaster aid
Honeybee keepers will receive more than half of $40 million earmarked for the Emergency Assistance to Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP), said USDA.
Natural diet helps honey bees resist pesticides
Honey bees show more resistance to pesticides if they eat a natural diet of pollen than artificial diets such as soy protein, say researchers at Penn State University.
Honey bee habitat program, active in Midwest, is expanded
More than $4 million in funding and expert advice will be provided to farmers and ranchers in five Midwestern states, to improve habitat for honey bees, a valuable crop pollinator that suffers high mortality rates.
USDA outlines quarterly and annual bee-loss surveys
Some 23,300 bee keepers nationwide would be contacted about honeybee mortality under a pair of surveys proposed by the Agriculture Department.
Ontario aims to “meaningfully reduce” use of neonicotinoids
The provincial government in Ontario will try to "meaningfully reduce" the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in 2015, says Premier Kathleen Wynne, according to Country Guide, Canada's oldest farm publication. The so-called neonics are blamed in part for the deep decline in honeybee populations.The Varroa mite and other pests as well as harsh weather have been cited as causes too.
USDA allows more time to comment on honey standard
The Agriculture Department has extended until Oct 19 the public comment period on whether a federal standard of identity for honey would benefit consumers and producers. USDA announced a 30-day comment period on Aug 20. It said the extension was requested by "an interested person" who said the issue deserved longer consideration. USDA said in a Federal Register notice the 30-day extension "will allow adequate time for interested persons to submit comments without causing a significant delay."
USDA boosts bee habitat, White House plans national strategy
Landowners in five states in the upper Midwest are eligible for $8 million in payments if they establish new habitat for honey bees on land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve, says USDA.
Do not bet on California getting wet, not yet
Two co-founders of the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC-Davis "calculate that the chances of another winter with below-average precipitation to be nearly three in four" for California, says the science blog at KQED in San Francisco.
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.
USDA offers $3 mln for honeybee habitat
The Natural Resources Conservation Service says it "will provide close to $3 million in technical and financial assistance for interested farmers and ranchers to help improve the health of bees, which play an...
Largest U.S. honey collection since 1997
Domestic beekeepers collected 183 million pounds of honey in 2022, the largest amount in 25 years, according to the latest Census of Agriculture.