February 2016
Posted February 1, 2016
February 2016
Surviving without Treatments: Lessons from Wild Bees Leo Sharashkin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …
Read MoreProbiotics and Colony Productivity
Posted February 1, 2016
Probiotics and Colony Productivity
My apologies for skipping a month in this colony microbiota series—too much bee work and too many conferences to attend. But before I return to beebread, I’d like to share the results of a related study of my own. Probiotics As we learn more and more about the symbiotic microbial communities that reside in or …
Read MoreFebruary 2016 Cover
Posted February 1, 2016
February 2016 Cover
Honey bee on an almond blossom. This excellent photo comes to us from photographer Clarke Sutphin of Billings, MT. Clarke took this photo last year during the California almond bloom that occurs in February and March.
Read MoreU.S Honey Crops and Markets – January 2016
Posted January 1, 2016
U.S Honey Crops and Markets – January 2016
UNITED STATES Just as beekeepers over much of the nation settle down to the slower winter months, work has gone into high gear in California as thousands of colonies arrive in the state, adding to the thousands already there that will be used for almond pollination in February and March. Beekeepers will continue to feed …
Read MoreLetters to the Editor – January 2016
Posted January 1, 2016
Letters to the Editor – January 2016
Feral Colony Just thought you all might be interested in this. I discovered this in a park down along the Grand River near us in Lansing, MI. If you look closely, there is a hole in the tree above the honey comb. So, maybe the hollow in the tree is full, and they moved their …
Read MoreCamelina Cover Crops a Boon for Bees
Posted January 1, 2016
Camelina Cover Crops a Boon for Bees
Camelina is an herbaceous, yellow-flowering member of the mustard family whose oil-rich seed and cold tolerance has piqued the interest of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists for its potential as both a winter cover crop and biodiesel resource. Now, in the process of studying this plant, scientists with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have …
Read MoreAncient Bees Gathered Pollen in Two Ways
Posted January 1, 2016
Ancient Bees Gathered Pollen in Two Ways
Were ancient bees specialists, devoting their pollen-collecting attentions to very specific plant partners? Or were they generalists, buzzing around to collect pollen from a variety of flowers in their midst? Researchers who’ve studied an ancient lineage of bees now say in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on November 12 that the answer to both …
Read MoreThe First Human Uses of Beeswax Have Been Established in Anatolia in 7000 BCE
Posted January 1, 2016
The First Human Uses of Beeswax Have Been Established in Anatolia in 7000 BCE
The current loss of bee populations as a result of pesticides, viruses and parasites has increased awareness about their economic importance and essential role in farming societies. Our relationship with bees stretches way back before modern farming, which is shown, for example, in various depictions in Ancient Egypt or, going back even further, in the …
Read MoreFamily Nyssaceae – The Sour Gum Family
Posted January 1, 2016
Family Nyssaceae – The Sour Gum Family
The family Nyssaceae is a very small family with perhaps 10 species and is frequently placed in the Dogwood family, the Cornaceae. This probably is the current trend. I have treated it here as the Nyssaceae because the North American 4 or 5 species (again depending on the taxonomist) are bee forages and belong to …
Read MoreThe Classroom January 2016
Posted January 1, 2016
The Classroom January 2016
Texas Apiary Inspection Service By Mark Dykes Chief Apiary Inspector Texas Apiary Inspection Service 2475 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-2475 Howdy from the Texas Apiary Inspection Service. We are based out of the Texas A&M University Entomology Department. I’m sure you are wondering why the state honey bee regulatory agency would be based out of …
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