More and more research studies are reporting findings that pesticides of one sort or another are one of the major causes of decline in bees and we reported in the last edition that perhaps worried by this evidence, Bayer would set up a global bee care programme. As part of the program, two dedicated [...]
Honey Garlic Grilled Eggplant / Courgette
I have used this recipe before in Apis UK and it is probably my favourite dish so I have improved it. Instead of frying the egg plant rounds they are dipped in the savoury/sweet mix and grilled. This is good because frying them can fill [...]
Theories as to how bees reproduced themselves abounded in olden times and many of the most ridiculous were believed until the 1700s and beyond but some were more sceptical of these extreme theories as is demonstrated by this Essex pastor in 1657. His better understanding of bee reproduction is shown in his very interesting [...]
From Odin himself we take a look at what he has to say about Mead drinking and how to behave when you have drunk it. This is probably one piece of advice the Vikings forgot about when out on a raid.
From Havamal, the Words of Odin, the High One
Less good than [...]
Pollinator Co-Evolution not Always Apparent
In research, co-evolution is regarded as a driving force behind the development of a mutual adaptation between two organisms. Bees and flowers are a prime example of this and most of us know that bees working for bees and flowers working for flowers became locked into a sort of [...]
Bee task system under genetic control
We all know about the temporal polyethism of the honey bee colony where worker bees carry out various tasks depending upon age and maturity and this aspect of the honey bee colony has been studied in detail but now, Yehuda Ben-Shahar, PhD, assistant professor of biology in Arts [...]
The Early Bee Catches the Nectar
Most people hate getting up early but especially for those who study or write, when they do get up many of these find that they are far more effective an so it seems are bees at their job. A new study described in the Journal Behavioural Ecology and [...]
We all knew them; the dare devils at school who would do anything for a thrill. People have personalities and some people are pleasure and excitement seekers and others are stay at home types. So can bees have personalities as well or are they all like automatons, faithfully serving their queens. Recent research by [...]
USA 2011. Honey production down but prices at record highs
2011 Honey Statistics from the USA
Released March 30, 2012, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service
(NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA).
United States Honey Production Down 16 Percent
Honey production in 2011 from producers with five [...]
GM Company Buys Bee Protection Company
There has been a lot of controversy in the States after the GE company giant, Monsanto which has often been blamed for contributing to the dwindling bee population, has bought up one of the leading bee research organizations. Beelogics is an organisation recognized by the USDA, the USDA-ARS, [...]
A team of researchers headed by Prof. Annette Menzel at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen reports that pollen counts have already risen across Europe in recent years. Their findings are based on an analysis of pollen time series in 13 countries. This trend is more pronounced in urban areas, where pollen counts are rising by [...]
Some of the UK’s rarest bumblebees are at risk of becoming extinct as a result of inbreeding, research suggests.The lack of genetic diversity is making the bees more vulnerable to a number of threats, including parasitic infection, say scientists in Scotland. They warn that some populations of bees are [...]
