The Buzz: The Latest News

News: The Latest Buzz!
Critical load on tiny wings
The alarming loss of honey bees poses threat to food supply, author warns
Financial Post.com, December 11, 2008

Others noted that bee corpses killed by CCD are riddled with 14 different kinds of viruses. Some scientists pointed to a virus identified in Israel but inconsistent data ruled it out as the sole serial killer.

 

 

Disappearing honey bees
The Oxford Times, United Kingdom, December 10, 2008

But the most credible cause seems to implicate the widespread use of two neonicotinoid chemicals, applied to seeds. It travels systemically through the plant, and leaves residues that contaminate the pollen, resulting in bee death, paralysis or disorientation.

 

 

Mite bite on bees may be the end of honey
Wynnum Herald, Australia, December 05, 2008

The Varroa mite found its way to New Zealand in 2000, and was discovered in Papua New Guinea a few months ago.

 

 

Europe hopes havens will give bees a break
The Christian Science Monitor, December 02, 2008

Hoping to avert a growing catastrophe, the European Parliament has approved the creation of bee "recovery zones" across the Continent.

Intended to boost plummeting bee numbers – as well as stave off further agricultural losses – the measure garnered the support of an overwhelming majority of members when they voted on the measure late last month. The recovery zones will provide bees places to buzz that teem with a diversity of plants rich in nectar and pollen, as well as free of pesticides.

 

 

Honey bees 'could be wiped out in 10 years'
Yourcanterbury.co.uk, United Kingdom, November 29, 2008

Declining numbers of honey bees could have catastrophic consequences for fruit farmers in the county.

Beekeepers across Kent say they will run out of honey before Christmas as pests and disease, such as the parasitic blood-sucking mite Varroa, are devastating hive populations.

 

 

British Honey Bee Population On The Decline
redOrbit.com, November 26, 2008

In Britain, the honey bee population is on the decline, which has led to the prediction that the country will run out of English honey by Christmas.

But what’s more important is the effect this decline will have on farmers in the region.

 

 

Honey bee crisis threatens English fruit farmers
Reuters, United Kingdom, November 26, 2008

Where in the United States, fruit farmers pay to have bees trucked thousands of miles to pollinate their crops and in parts of China, humans with feather dusters have taken on the task, in Britain most bees go nature's way.

 

 

Output not so sweet in honey, syrup sectors
OttawaCitizen.com. Canada, November 22, 2008

The not-so-sweet buzz from Statistics Canada for Canadians, who already facing a man-made slump in economic output, is that there were declines this year in both honey and maple syrup production.
Canada produced 62 million pounds of honey this year, down 10 per cent from the 69 million pounds produced in 2007, the federal statistical agency said yesterday, noting that the average yield per colony was only 106 pounds, more than 10 pounds less than last year.

 

 

Why are Europe's bees dying?
BBC News, United Kingdom, November 20, 2008

The beekeeping industry is welcoming the attention from European politicians, but the commission will take time to act, and time is something bees lack.

 

 

Flower power key to saving Europe's bees
Reuters, United Kindgdom, November 19, 2008

Honey bees, whose numbers are falling, must be given flowery "recovery zones" in Europe's farmlands to aid their survival, a leading EU lawmaker said Wednesday.

Bees pollinate numerous crops and scientists have expressed alarm over their mysterious and rapid decline. Experts have warned that a drop in the bee population could harm agriculture.

 

Colonies in Collapse: What's Causing Massive Honeybee Die-Offs? Part 3
PA Farm News, November 17, 2008

Bad chemistry? Dave Hackenberg and other beekeepers in the trenches have their own opinions about what is going on. Hackenberg doesn’t mince words. “Our scientists are working their heads off on a little bit of nothing. All we’re doing here is slowly reinventing the wheel of what Europe has already figured out.”

What France and Germany have done is ban a class of insecticides called neonicotinoids (or “neonics”), an artificial form of nicotine that acts as a neurotoxin to insects. Seeds are typically treated with the chemicals before they are planted or are sprayed while growing in the fields. Their use has been strictly curtailed in France since the 1990s, when they were linked to a mass die-off of bees. In May of 2008, Germany suspended sales of eight neonicotinoid products after two-thirds of the bees in the country’s Baden-Wurttemberg region died following the use of the pesticide clothianidin — sold in Europe under the name Poncho — in local fields.

 

 

Colonies in Collapse: What's Causing Massive Honeybee Die-Offs? Part 2
PA Farm News, November 16, 2008

Whodunit? To solve a murder mystery with millions of victims and no smoking gun requires CSI-style teamwork, or as Pennsylvania state apiarist Dennis vanEngelsdorp likes to say, “a coordinated effort that takes a page from the beehive, where all the individuals play a role to make the hive successful.”

Penn State’s entomology department, long recognized for its strengths in disease research and chemical analysis, has emerged as a leader in honey bee and CCD research nationwide. "We are one of the major contributors in understanding bee health," notes Diana Cox-Foster, professor of entomology and co-chair of the Colony Collapse Disorder Working Group. She adds that currently 19 faculty and graduate students on the University Park campus are doing research projects related to bee health.

 

 

Threats to bees causing concern
The Herald.com, Australia, November 12, 2008

HONEY bees, insects crucial to human food supplies, are under serious threat.
They are battling disease, drought, pesticides, urban expansion, climate change and a mysterious plague known as colony collapse disorder.

 

 

Colonies in collapse: What's causing massive honeybee die-offs? Part 1
Penn State LIVE, November 11, 2008

As the single bee species maintained by the vast majority of beekeepers in the United States and Europe, Apis mellifera, the western honeybee, is the very essence of a keystone insect. The economic worth of this crucial honeybee — which pollinates over one hundred different fruit and vegetable crops in the United States, including oranges, apples and blueberries, as well as almond trees and animal food crops like clover — has been estimated at more than $14 billion. California’s almond orchards alone require 1.5 million hives to pollinate them, and yield over $2 billion worth of almonds. In Pennsylvania, State Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff has made it clear that “Honeybees are critical to Pennsylvania agriculture and to our state’s economy… We can’t afford to be lax in dealing with this problem.”

 

 

Call for cash to stop bee deaths
Wales Online, United Kingdom, November 11, 2008

HUNDREDS of British beekeepers in white protective suits and carrying the smokers they use to calm their bees, marched through London last week to call for help in finding out why billions of bees are dying.
They gathered outside Parliament before marching to 10 Downing Street to hand over a petition calling for more cash for research.

The British Beekeepers’ Association says one in three hives was lost in the past year, the worst in a decade of decline.

 

Floods decimated native bee habitats
Extinction threatens Yemen's 'natural Viagra'
Alarabiya.net, November 09, 2008

Yemeni honey, famed for its regenerative and healing properties, is under threat after floods destroyed thousands of beehives in the southeast, threatening the production of what is commonly known as "natural Viagra."

Deadly floods last month that killed dozens and forced thousands to flee hit the honey-producing provinces of Hadhramut the hardest and decimated beekeepers as thousands of hives were washed away.

 

British beekeepers seek help to save honeybees
Associated Press, November 05, 2008

Beekeepers swarmed Parliament and the prime minister's office on Wednesday, demanding more funds for research after the number of Britain's honey bees dropped by nearly a third in the past year.

 

Beekeepers protest over deadly parasite that has killed 2billion bees in ONE year
Daily Mail Online, United Kingdom, November 05, 2008

A survey by the BBKA found that 90,000 of the 274,000 hives in the UK – each containing around 20,000 bees – did not survive last winter and spring. It is feared another two billion could be wiped out this winter.

UK hives have been hit by the varroa mite, which feeds on the blood of developing and adult bees, making them more vulnerable to disease.

 

Bee cause
FT.com (Financial Times), November 01, 2008

Bees and beauty might not at first glance appear to go hand in hand. Yet honey and royal jelly are, thanks to their hydrating and nourishing properties, a fundamental component of many beauty products. Beeswax, meanwhile, forms the basis of several lip balms; and cult buys such as Liz Earle's Superbalm, Ren's Acacia Blossom Honey Lip Balm and the Burt's Bees range - a brand built entirely on harnessing the nourishing properties of honey, beeswax and royal jelly - would not exist without the hard work of the honeybee.

 

Plea for more research cash as two billion bees die from rampant disease
Telegraph.co.uk, November 01, 2008

The British Beekeepers' Association (BBKA) has calculated that up to two billion bees succumbed to sickness between November 2007 and April 2008, with a similar number expected to be wiped out by the end of this winter.
It wants ministers to increase the £200,000 currently spent on the research of bee health to £8 million over the next five years.

 

Plight of bee causes buzz in Brussels
FEARS GROW THAT DECLINE IN NUMBERS COULD HIT PRODUCTION OF CROPS
The Press and Journal, UK, October 28, 2008

THE European Commission has been told to come forward with comprehensive plans to prevent any further decline in bee numbers across Europe.

MEPs on the European Parliament’s agriculture committee are also to seek a full parliamentary debate on the issue as worries grow about the impact the fall in bee numbers could have on crop production.

Committee members were united on the need for efforts to be stepped up to protect the bee population which has been ravaged in recent years by the deadly varroa mite, increasing disease issues and a mystery problem known as colony collapse disorder.

 

Seeking a blood-sucking mighty mite
B.C. researchers hope to halt global honeybee decline
The Vancouver Sun, Canada, October 24, 2008

Genome B.C. is launching a $2.8-million research project it hopes can halt the dramatic worldwide decline in bees.
The project is expected to take three years. It aims to identify strains of bees that are genetically resistant to certain types of infection.
Over the past few years, bees have been dying off at an unprecedented rate.

 

The mite that could kill our bees
A tiny predator, the varroa mite, is wreaking massive havoc on bee populations worldwide and it's only a matter of time before it reaches Australia, say experts.
ABC Science, Australia, October 23, 2008

While Australia's isolation and strict quarantine controls have been effective in keeping the mite out so far, most experts believe that it's just a matter of time before it penetrates Australia, with devastating results.

 

Honeybees still at risk
ScienceNews.org, October 23, 2008

One of the more recent findings, from a Pennsylvania consortium of researchers, is the observation that bees that encase some of their pollen in wax, creating an entombed red mass, face a higher risk of colony collapse disorder than bees that don’t.

 

 

Air Pollution May be to Blame for Honeybee Population Collapse
Natural News.com, October 17, 2008

Air pollution is making it harder for bees and other pollinating insects to find food, according to a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Virginia.

Pollutants such as ozone (smog) and nitrate radicals, formed mostly as a consequence of car exhaust, are binding with the volatile scent molecules given off by flowers, the scientists found. This chemically alters the molecules so that they no longer carry a sweet scent, and do not attract pollinating insects to plants.

 

 

Nicotine-Based Pesticide May Explain Bee Colony Collapse
InjuryBoard.com, October 17, 2008

It may be they know more in France than we do in the U.S.

There they have banned the use of a class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids. France, Italy, Germany and Slovenia found that the nicotine-based substance impaired the bees’ navigational and foraging abilities.

 

Mystery of lost bees points to pesticide
PalmBeachPost.com, October 16, 2008

One key difference between how the United States and France are approaching the problem is regulation of a class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids. On the market since the 1990s, the nicotine-based substance is in widespread use on 120 crops. But not in France, Italy, Germany and Slovenia: Those countries have banned the pesticide. Some studies have found that neonicotinoids impair bees' navigational and foraging abilities.

 

Beekeepers support a decision by the Environmental Risk Management Authority to refuse the release of another chemical treatment for the varroa honey bee mite.
Radionz.co.nz, New Zealand, October 16, 2008

Chemical company Bayer New Zealand had applied to import a product called "Checkmite plus" to control the parasite in beehives.

ERMA says it has not banned the chemical and may reassess the application if circumstances change.

 

 

Honeybee Decline Threatens English Apple Orchards
FarmingUK, October 16, 2008

In July 2008 Rowse Honey announced English Beekeepers’ Honey would run out in the supermarkets by Christmas, and with apple trees relying 90% on the honeybee for pollination, a serious threat is imminent.

 

 

National group promotes native-pollinator health
Wild species could help fill gaps left by decline in bees
Capital Press, October 09, 2008

After two years spent exploring options and defining its direction, a nationwide effort to promote the health of native pollinators is preparing to go public.

The Native Pollinators in Agriculture Work Group is an effort backed by the FFA and Turner Foundations, who engaged Natural Resource Solutions, a Maryland consultancy. With the world facing declines of both native and managed pollinators, Natural Resource Solutions gathered researchers and ag leaders to explore field strategies that benefit growers as well as pollinators.

 

 

 

Scientists breeding better bees
Central Valley Business Times, October 09, 2008

The scientists obtained importation permits from USDA-APHIS (Animal Plant Health Inspection Service) to import semen for a three-year period, 2008-2010, from three honeybee subspecies, Apis mellifera ligustica from Italy, A. m. carnica from Germany and A. m. caucasica from Turkey.

 

 

 

Farmers work to encourage native bee habitat
California Farm Bureau Federation, October 08, 2008

With honeybee populations weakened by disease and the mysterious malady known as Colony Collapse Disorder, farmers place new focus on work to benefit native pollinators. Decisions by farmers and ranchers to replace bare ground along irrigation ditches and roadways with native plants, trees and grasses, in order to encourage beneficial insects and eliminate weeds, have evolved into a movement to bring native bees back to the farming landscape.

 

 

 

Fears that bee colony disease is here
Wairarapa Times-Age, New Zealand, October 06, 2008

Fears that the devastating bee disease Colony Collapse Disorder has arrived in Wairarapa has prompted a leading beekeeper to make an appeal to farmers using sprays.

 

Beetle pesticide raises a new buzz
Beekeepers worry about effect on their hives
telegram.com, October 06, 2008

Several cited reports from beekeepers in Europe, particularly in France, suggesting that the pesticide imidacloprid contributed to a significant decline in bee populations.

 

 

Insecticide ban plea to help protect bees
Yorkshire Post, UK, October 03, 2008

The Soil Association this week called for a ban on an important group of insecticides to help stop the honey bee crisis.

The organic farming organisation said Italy had joined Germany, France and Slovenia, in clamping down on the substances in the interests of bees.

The Italian Embassy confirmed its government had banned the use of neonicotinoids and a related substance as seed treatments, although not as sprays, for reasons including feed-through into bees.

 

 

French bees find a haven in Paris
International Herald Tribune, October 01, 2008

As in the United States and in Britain, where bee colonies are dying, about 300,000 to 400,000 French hives have disappeared every year between 1995 and 2007, victims of pesticides, pollution and disease.

 

 

How predicted empty hives would mean end of the world
NEWS.scotsman.com, October 01, 2008

THEY play a vital role pollinating many of the crops we rely upon for food and are so essential that Einstein once warned if the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, humans would follow within four years.