Most of us have fed our bees with sugar syrup and occasionally high fructose corn syrup and we have generally been happy with the result, and happy that our bees are getting their energy requirements provided even though we have taken their honey. But what if by doing this, we are depriving them of [...]
Many readers may have wondered which came first; the chicken or the egg, but a similar problem occurs when trying to decide who led who in plant bee evolution. Well now, the problem has been solved – at least in Australia.
We’ve all heard the old myth that “bumblebees shouldn’t be able to fly” and many have since wondered exactly how they do manage this feat so easily. Remember though that the old theory was based on calculations using the aerodynamic theories of 1918-19, which was only 15 years after the Wright brothers flew.
With their distinctive banding in the so called ‘danger’ colours, bumblebees do look like insects that shouldn’t be messed with but is this the main factor that protects them from predators? New research shows that it may not be the case and that the distinctive black and yellow “warning” colours may not be what [...]
Beekeepers and researchers in the USA are reporting growing evidence that a powerful new class of pesticides may be killing off bumblebees. Now, research at the University of Pittsburgh points toward another potential cause: metal pollution from aluminium and nickel.
University of Dundee researchers have warned of a “striking” difference in honey bee survival rates between the east and west of Scotland. Scientists studied more than 600 colonies across the country over 12 months. Of those colonies examined in the east of the country, 21%, failed, while only 14 of 286 colonies failed in [...]
Ever wondered if bees warned each other about danger? Well in a fascinating piece of research carried out by French and Spanish scientists, it seems that social bees – honey bees and bumblebees are able to do this.
Don’t we all! And it seems honeybees also get their buzz from drinking flower nectar containing caffeine.
Flower colours that contrast with their background are more important to foraging bees than patterns of coloured veins on pale flowers
Keeping bees is also all about plants and how they operate and it’s important the beekeepers take an interest in all of the plants around them and learn all about them.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reports: Risks posed to bees.
EFSA scientists have identified a number of risks posed to bees by three neonicotinoid insecticides. The Authority was asked by the European Commission to assess the risks associated with the use of clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam as seed treatment or as granules, with [...]
It is a known to everyone that noise from wind turbines generates sound both heard and inaudible to humans. Sounds emitted that are not within the scope of being audible to humans, basically come in the form of vibrations. These vibrations can travel much further than audible sound and affect a vast area, several miles [...]
Biologists Design Method to Monitor Global Bee Decline
A global network of people monitoring bee populations may form an early warning system alerting scientists to dangers threatening the world’s food system and economies.
“My goal is to give agencies all around the world an effective way to monitor bees,” said San Francisco State University [...]
A team of British and Australian researchers have made a breakthrough discovery in honeybee genetics, findings that may help unravel the mystery behind their mass deaths in recent years, according to the UK’s University of Sheffield.
The study, available here, has been the first to identify non-DNA caused genetic developments in honey bees, changes [...]
Landscapes with large amounts of paved roads and impervious construction have lower numbers of ground-nesting bumblebees, which are important native pollinators, a study from The University of Texas at Austin and the University of California, Berkeley shows.
It all sounds fairly obvious, but in fact this is the first time that this has been [...]
A possible new approach to encouraging hygienic behaviour. New research published in BioMed Central’s open access journal Genome Biology finds that specific proteins, released by larvae damaged by varroa and in the antennae of adult honey bees, can drive hygienic behaviour of the adults and promote the removal of infected larvae from the hive.
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The scientists say it is reasonable to expect to see widespread resistance among bees, considering the decades-long use of oxytetracycline in honeybee hives. “It seems likely this reflects a history of using oxytetracycline since the 1950s. It’s not terribly surprising. It parallels findings in other domestic animals, like chickens and pigs,” says Nancy Moran [...]
Scientists tracking the flight of the bumblebee have been astonished by the power of the insects’ tiny brains. Let loose to find their way among five artificial flowers in a one kilometre-wide field, the bees quickly learned which routes were the most efficient.
In a surprisingly short time they drew up “flight plans” that [...]
We reported in last month’s issue that some of the research into the effects of pesticides on bees was flawed. Also, the research concentrated on honeybees only.
Everyone feels refreshed after a good night’s sleep, but sleep does more than just rejuvenate, it can also consolidate memories which are very important for foragers when finding their way home to the hive.
I always found it amusing when non beekeepers asked me whether I minded honey bees biting me and I wryly told them that bees sting, not bite. But now it seems that I was wrong.
I like the idea that drinking red wine may provide health benefits — or possibly even extend your life. It’s an appealing thought although I have no doubt advice on the matter will always be accompanied by those dreaded words ‘in moderation’.
Now though, there may be added attraction. Researchers have found that when [...]
Sheffield and Sussex lead the way
Using a £1 million EPSRC1 funded project Scientists at the Universities of Sheffield and Sussex are embarking on an ambitious project to produce the first accurate computer models of a honey bee brain in a bid to advance our understanding of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and how animals think.
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A possible new approach to encouraging hygienic behaviour.
The parasitic mite Varroa destructor is a major contributor to the recent mysterious death of honey bee
First evidence that complex, reversible behavioural patterns in bees and presumably other animals — are linked to reversible chemical tags on genes
So what does that mean?? Well this piece of research takes a bit of reading but it’s worth the effort and it effectively explains how the hive operates and adapts to [...]
French Neonicotinoid study flawed
Neonicotinoids are among the most widely-used agricultural insecticides and following French research there has been much controversy concerning their use including a French ban on a pesticide made by Swiss agrochemicals group Syngenta. France’s farm minister Stephane Le Foll withdrew Syngenta’s marketing permit for the pesticide Cruiser OSR in June, [...]
Do you remember last year’s discovery of “zombie”-like bees infected with a fly parasite, researchers are conducting an elaborate experiment to learn more about the plight of the honey bees.
The scientists are now tagging infected bees with tiny radio trackers, and monitoring the bees’ movements in and out of a specially designed hive. [...]
Most beekeepers will have their own ideas about royal jelly for human use but certainly in the colony, the effects of this legendary substance are —legendary! Scientists have now discovered a way to make worker bees produce an enhanced version of royal jelly — the super-nutritious substance that dictates whether larvae become workers or [...]
An international research breakthrough with bees offers the possibility that machines might soon be able to see almost as well as humans. French and Australian researchers have shown that honeybees use multiple rules to solve complex visual problems. Dr Adrian Dyer, from RMIT University in Melbourne, said the findings held important implications for our [...]
Anyone who has experienced general anaesthetic will know the feeling. A perhaps three hour operation feels like 5 minutes and you wake up feeling as though you’ve just gone to sleep. The reason for this has now been discovered and it’s all to do with genes and the discovery, all to do with bees.
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