Fall yard cleanup bad for bees, warns apiarist

A local apiarist is encouraging people to skip major yard cleanups this fall for the sake of bee health.

Bee expert Erica Shelley says people unwittingly destroy important bee habitats when they rake leaves and clean away dead wood.

While honeybee colonies overwinter in their hives, solitary bees don't survive the winter months and bury their larvae in the ground or in the hollows of branches. When spring arrives and temperatures warm up, the new insects know it's time to emerge, says Shelley.

"If people are throwing out their dead wood, rototilling their gardens and throwing down mulch in the spring, then they actually can't emerge," she said.

Read more here.

Bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides even worse than previously thought

We've been writing for a while about the damage that neonicotinoid pesticides are doing to bee populations around the world, but according to the latest science, things might be even worse than we thought. A new assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) of three chemicals that are already banned in Europe, clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, has found that they pose a ‘high risk’ to bees when sprayed on leaves.

Hopefully this data will help maintain the ban, which is being challenged by the UK's National Farmers Union. In fact, Greenpeace is hoping that the new data will help extend the ban to fruit orchards after blooming, and crops gown in greenhouses.

Read more here.

Banned pesticides pose a greater risk to bees than thought, EU experts warn

New study by European Food and Safety Authority finds ‘high risk’ to bees from neonicotinoid pesticide sprays prompting calls for extending ban

Three pesticides banned in Europe for their potential to damage bee populations could pose an even greater threat than was thought, according to a new assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa).

Already proscribed for seed treatments and soil applications, the Efsa analysis says that clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam also pose a ‘high risk’ to bees when sprayed on leaves.

The UK is currently facing a legal challenge to an emergency exemption it granted, allowing use of two of the substances, after protests by the National Farmers Union.

But far from supporting the British case, the advisory expert assessment will add to pressure for an extension of the ban to apply to fruit orchards after blooming, and crops gown in greenhouses, Greenpeace says.

“The commission should expand the EU-wide ban to cover all uses of neonicotinoids on all crops, and end the self-service approach to derogations. Viable non-chemical alternatives exist and the EU should encourage farmers to use them,” said the group’s agriculture policy director, Marco Contiero.

Read more here.

Study finds a link between neonic pesticides and honeybee deaths

A new study, published on Thursday, August 20, 2015, shows a correlation between honeybee colony deaths and neonicotinoid pesticide usage in the United Kingdom.

Neonicotinoids generally come as a seed coating. When the seed sprouts, it takes in the pesticide, which then protects it against predators. But if that plant flowers, small amounts of the pesticide will linger in the pollen and nectar, which may hurt the beneficial insects, like bees, visiting those blooms to feed.

There’s some controversy about this: Scientists have found some indications that the neonics are hurting wild honeybees, but not domestic honeybees. As Maj Rundlöf, the lead author of one of those studies, told Nature: “This doesn’t mean that there aren’t any negative effects on honeybees, but so far I don’t see any evidence from field studies supporting that.”

Well, now there is a field study supporting that. This new study found a concerning association with just one neonic, imidacloprid, and the authors wrote that we shouldn’t extrapolate to others. But still, this is the first large-scale field study to suggest a link between domestic bee troubles and a neonic.

It’s always been clear that neonics are bad for bees in sufficient quantities. After all, they kill insects, and bees are insects. But before now, there wasn’t good evidence that the small amounts of neonics that hives were getting exposed to in real world situations were having a noticeable effect. That’s why this study matters.

Read more here.

Making A Wildlife Habitat From Recycled & Found Materials

Forget all those expensive manufactured solitary bee houses or hedgehog homes, you can make your insect habitat out of scrap materials and old pallets

Here is an idea developed by Chris Beardshaw, spotted at Hampton Court Flower Show in 2008.

Read more here.

Hives for Pollination and Conservation

When most people think of bee keeping, jars of glistening honey come to mind. And while there’s no argument that honey is perhaps one of the sweetest and immediate rewards of bee keeping, it should be considered that bees and other pollinators provide benefits on such a larger scale. It’s important to support pollinators of all kinds and we can do this by providing a variety of housing to not only Honey Bees but other species of pollinators as well.

Here are some interesting facts about pollinators provided by The NAPPC (North American Polinator Protection Campaign) and the Pollinator Partnership.

“Why does pollination matter to us?
• Worldwide, roughly 1,000 plants grown for food, beverages, fibers, spices, and medicines need to be pollinated by animals in order to produce the goods on which we depend.
• Foods and beverages produced with the help of pollinators include: apples, blueberries, chocolate, coffee, melons, peaches, potatoes, pumpkins, vanilla, almonds, and tequila.
• In the United States, pollination by honey bees, native bees, and other insects produces $40 billion worth of products annually.

Are pollinators in trouble?
• Worldwide there is disturbing evidence that pollinating animals have suffered from loss of habitat, chemical misuse, introduced and invasive plan and animal species, and diseases and parasites.
• Many pollinators are federally “listed species,” meaning that there is evidence of their disappearance in natural areas.
• The U.S. has lost over 50% of its managed honeybee colonies over the past 10 years.
• A lack of research has hindered our knowledge about the status of pollinators. The E.U. has been so concerned that they have invested over $20 million investigating the status of pollinators in Europe.“
https://pollinator.org/pollination.htm

So as you can see pollinators of all kinds are important to the us, our food production, the production of medicines and the natural balance of the food chain. For those of you who want to support pollinators, but perhaps don’t want to get involved in the whole honey extraction process, here are a few alternative hive options that might interest you.

Read more: http://keepingbackyardbees.com/hives-pollination-conservation/

Spider venom pesticide offers hope for bees

Scientists believe the discovery could provide a bee-friendly alternative to neonicotinoid pesticides

A new pesticide, created using spider venom and chemicals from snowdrop plants appears to be harmless to honeybees, a study has concluded.

The formula, called Hv1a/GNA, is toxic to a number of key insect pests but shows little sign of damage to honeybee survival rates or key brain functions such as learning and memory.

And it seems that honeybee larvae are able to break the chemical down in their gut, keeping them safe from any harmful effects.

Scientists hope that it could provide one safe alternative to neonicotinoid pesticides, which have been implicated in honeybee declines in recent years.

“Our findings suggest that Hv1a/GNA is unlikely to cause any detrimental effects on honeybees,” said Professor Angharad Gatehouse of Newcastle University, who supervised the project.

“Previous studies have already shown that it is safe for higher animals, which means it has real potential as a pesticide and offers us a safe alternative to some of those currently on the market.”

The chemical fusion is made using the toxic venom of the Australian funnel web spider and plant protein from snowdrops. In its pure form, the venom is one of the most toxic in the world, and can be deadly to humans.

Read more: http://positivenews.org.uk/2014/environment/16603/spider-venom-pesticide-offers-hope-bees/

First Great British Bee Count reveals allotments make the best bee habitats

Allotments produced more bee sightings than parks, gardens and the countryside over the 12-week summer count

Allotments are the best habitat for bees according to the results of the first Great British Bee Count this summer.

More bees were seen on allotments than on any other habitat including parks, gardens, and the countryside during the 12-week bee count from June to August.

More than 23,000 people across the UK took part in the count using a smartphone app to log their sightings of 830,000 bees.

An average of 12 bees per count were spotted on allotments compared to 10 in the countryside, eight in gardens, seven in parks and only four on roadside verges.

Bumblebees were the most frequently seen type of bee in all regions with 304,857 sightings including common species such as the buff-tailed bumblebee, garden bumblebee and white-tailed bumblebees. Honeybees were the second most-seen bee with 193,837 sightings. Of these, 42% were in rural areas, 30% in suburbs and 28% in towns and cities. The ginger-tufted tree bumblebee, which is often found nesting in bird boxes, was the third most identified bee with 69,369 sightings. It only arrived in southern England from mainland Europe in 2001, but the survey shows it has now spread throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Great British Bee Count was developed by charities Friends of the Earth and Buglife and retailer, B&Q, with the aim of providing annual comparable data and trends that will give a broader picture of bee health. Bee experts believe the mild winter, warm spring and long summer created good weather conditions for bees to thrive this year.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/28/first-great-british-bee-count-reveals-allotments-make-best-bee-habitats

Scientists discover another cause of bee deaths, and it's really bad news

So what is with all the dying bees? Scientists have been trying to discover this for years. Meanwhile, bees keep dropping like... well, you know.

Is it mites? Pesticides? Cell phone towers? What is really at the root? Turns out the real issue really scary, because it is more complex and pervasive than thought.

Quartz reports:

Scientists had struggled to find the trigger for so-called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) that has wiped out an estimated 10 million beehives, worth $2 billion, over the past six years. Suspects have included pesticides, disease-bearing parasites and poor nutrition. But in a first-of-its-kind study published today in the journal PLOS ONE, scientists at the University of Maryland and the US Department of Agriculture have identified a witch’s brew of pesticides and fungicides contaminating pollen that bees collect to feed their hives. The findings break new ground on why large numbers of bees are dying though they do not identify the specific cause of CCD, where an entire beehive dies at once.

The researchers behind that study in PLOS ONE -- Jeffery S. Pettis, Elinor M. Lichtenberg, Michael Andree, Jennie Stitzinger, Robyn Rose, Dennis vanEngelsdorp -- collected pollen from hives on the east coast, including cranberry and watermelon crops, and fed it to healthy bees. Those bees had a serious decline in their ability to resist a parasite that causes Colony Collapse Disorder. The pollen they were fed had an average of nine different pesticides and fungicides, though one sample of pollen contained a deadly brew of 21 different chemicals. Further, the researchers discovered that bees that ate pollen with fungicides were three times more likely to be infected by the parasite.

Read more: http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/scientists-discover-another-cause-bee-deaths-and-its-really-bad-news.html

Pestizide als Ursache für Bienensterben nachgewiesen

Der Einsatz von Pflanzenschutz-Mitteln in der Landschaft trägt zum massenhaften Bienensterben in Deutschland bei. Wie Recherchen des ARD-Magazins FAKT ergaben, konnte vor kurzen in Thüringen eine Verbindung zwischen Pflanzenschutzmitteln und dem Tod von mehr als 150.000 Bienen nachgewiesen werden.

n dem konkreten Fall hatte ein Imker aus Gera ein ganzes Bienenvolk mit mindestens 160.000 Tieren verloren. Weil er vermutete, dass die Bienen vergiftet wurden, ließ er eine große Menge der toten Tiere von einem Institut untersuchen. Dessen Ergebnis: Die Bienen sind nach dem Kontakt mit dem Wirkstoff Dimethoat getötet worden, der für die Tiere hochgiftig ist. Dimethoat ist in Pflanzenschutzmitteln enthalten. Diese wurden nach Ansicht des betroffenen Imkers zur fraglichen Zeit auf Rapsfeldern in der Umgebung von Gera ausgebracht.

Der Fall aus Gera bestätigt ältere Forschungsergebnisse aus Frankreich. Dort hatte das Nationale Institut für Agrarforschung im Jahr 2012 nachgewiesen, dass Bienen nach dem Kontakt mit Pestiziden Probleme haben können, zu ihrem Volk zurückzufinden. Das kann zum Kollaps des gesamten Bienenvolkes gehören.

Weiter lesen: http://www.mdr.de/fakt/fakt_bienensterben_pestizide100.html

Marks and Spencer calls for plan to save bees

Marks and Spencer has on Thursday, June 27, 2013 called on the Government to create a Bee Action Plan. The retailer joins businesses such as Co-op and B&Q, key scientists, 200 MPs from all parties, and tens of thousands of the British public asking for action on the issue.

The call comes ahead of a summit meeting of key stakeholders on Friday, June 28, at which Environment Minister Lord de Mauley is expected to outline the Government's plans to protect bees from decline.

Friends of the Earth has seen an early draft of the Government's plans, and fears tomorrow's announced proposals will be too weak.

The environment charity says urgent action is needed to reverse bee decline and protect all kinds of bees, whose numbers have declined dramatically over recent years due to disease, chemicals, loss of habitat, and poor weather.

Bees are vital for pollinating our fruit and vegetables. Without them, it would cost more than £1.8 billion per year to pay farmers to hand-pollinate crops.

Mike Barry, Head of Sustainable Business, Marks and Spencer, said: "We need bees to produce good quality fresh produce at the right price. At M&S we are already working with our own suppliers to boost bee populations.

“But we need a comprehensive set of measures from Government to ensure that there is help for bees across the countryside and in our towns and cities - that's why we are backing the call for a National Bee Action Plan.”

Friends of the Earth's Executive Director Andy Atkins said: "With leading retailers like Marks and Spencer joining the call for a Bee Action Plan, our voice is louder than ever.

“Bees are worth more than £1.8 billion to our economy every year - the Government cannot afford to ignore the growing momentum from businesses, scientists, beekeepers and conservation groups who recognise that the time for action is now.

“Ministers must give us a plan that tackles all of the causes of bee decline and keeps bees pollinating our food, gardens and countryside”.

Environment Minister Lord de Mauley will announce the Government's plans to protect bees on June 28 at a Bee Summit hosted by Friends of the Earth alongside Waitrose, the Co-operative and the National Federation of Women's Institutes. The meeting will bring together Government officials, MPs, scientists, farmers, landowners, food retailers and producers to agree on the action required to reverse the decline of all Britain's bees.

Lord de Mauley is under growing public and political pressure to introduce an urgent Bee Action Plan to tackle the worrying decline in UK bees and other pollinators - not just action on managed honeybees. Almost 20,000 people have signed Friends of the Earth's petition for a Bee Action Plan in the last five days, calling on Lord de Mauley to tackle all the threats bees face, such as habitat loss.

Source: Friends of the Earth Trust

Bee kind to the bees

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

We need bees and honey is just a byproduct. We need honey bees, and other bees and pollinators, for our crops to produce. Without bees no food. It is as simple as that.

But the bees also need us and now more than ever.

They need us to provide nectar plants for them, especially in the form of wild flowers and not just crops that we want them to pollinate.

Too much of the natural habitat has been destroyed and meadows with wild flowers have nearly become a thing of the past due to the overuse of herbicides on farms.

Therefore it is up to us, all of us, to feed the bees and plant the flowers that will do this and at the same time attract them to our vegetable gardens to pollinate the crops.

Do them a favor and plant a patch of wildflower, annual or perennial, even in a large tub or such, and also add some other flowering plants and flowers to your garden, even if you just grow veggies, to attract the bees and to feed them. Ideally those flowers should be nectar-rich.

There are resources all over the Internet that will advise you are to the flowers, wild and cultivars, that are right for bees and especially for your area.

Let's all give the bees a helping hand. They sure need one.

© 2013

Wild bees are good for crops, but monoculture crops are bad for bees

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Some of the most healthful foods we can think of, whether blueberries, cranberries, apples, almonds, squash, etc., would never get to our plate without the help of insects. No insects, no pollination. No pollination, no fruit. Simple as that.

Farmers who grow these crops often rely on honeybees to do the job, but scientists are now reporting that honeybees, while convenient, especially so as they also provide us with honey, are not necessarily the best pollinators.

A huge collaboration of bee researchers, from more than a dozen countries, looked at how pollination happens in dozens of different crops, including strawberries, coffee, buckwheat, cherries and watermelons and have found that even when beekeepers installed plenty of hives in a field, yields usually got a boost when wild, native insects, such as bumblebees or carpenter bees, also showed up.

When it comes to beans and peas the only ones that can really do the pollination are bumblebees. Legumes have, in the main, closed flowers and the ordinary honeybee does have a problem getting into the back of it. Not so the humble bumble.

The message in all of this is that honeybees cannot carry the load. Honeybees need help from their cousins and relatives, the (other) wild bees and we must do something to promote it, so that we can keep honeybees healthy and our wild bee populations healthy.

Unfortunately wild bees aren't having an easy time of it as much of their nesting sites and habitat is being destroyed by monocultures of soya and corn (in the case of the USA) or suburbs. The woods and forests and the areas upon which they relied are gone. Changing climate may be another factor.

This means that is we want to have food tomorrow – and I sure think that we all do – then we must do something to keep our wild bee and pollinator populations healthy, as well as the honeybees, whether wild (yes, there are many) or in hives. Without bees there is no food.

The bees that have disappeared tended to be species that depended on just a few kinds of flowers for food. For those bees to survive, their preferred flowers have to be blooming when the bees start flying and need food. The warming trend might have thrown off that timing and timing is crucial for their survival.

One of the biggest problems for wild bees is the agricultural specialization that has produced huge fields of just one crop.

The almond groves of California, for example, are a sea of blossoms in February. It's a feast, as far as the eye can see, for honeybees that are brought here from all over the country, but for the rest of the year there is nothing blooming and that means there are no bees.

In fact, in places where there are very large monocultures of almond, we don't find any native bees anymore at all.

Planting other flowers in and around these almond groves, maybe as hedgerows, blooming all summer long, would help. But even better still would be farms with smaller fields, and lots of different crops flowering at different times. Wild bees need diversity.

This proves, yet again, that our commercial agriculture, as it is, with huge tracts of monocultures of this or that, is not good at all for the environment.

While there is colony collapse in the honeybee the wild bees also suffer and that, more than likely, due to our agricultural practices that are totally against Nature.

Remember: No bees, no pollination.. No pollination, no food!

© 2013