USDA Research Identifies Factors Causing Premature Commercial Honey Bee Queen Failure

Posted April 1, 2016

USDA Research Identifies Factors Causing Premature Commercial Honey Bee Queen Failure

BELTSVILLE, Md., Feb. 10, 2016—Temperature extremes during shipping and elevated pathogen levels may be contributing to honey bee queens failing faster today than in the past, according to a study just published by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists in the scientific journal PLOS One. “Either stress individually or in combination could be part of …

Posted April 1, 2016

My Homemade Feeder Board

As I write this in February, it is time to feed bees this late winter. I am using feeder boards with fondant this winter. I knew some of the hives were weak. I have lost a few colonies and this winter is not over yet. There are at least two more colonies in trouble. I …

Posted April 1, 2016

An Overview of Honey Bee Biology

This article marks the end of my short series on honey bee biology. Since my June 2015 article, I have spent considerable time discussing the members of a honey bee colony, their external and internal anatomy, their individual and group behaviors, and even their qualities as a superorganism. I am going to wrap up this …

Posted April 1, 2016

The Perils and Profits of Polyandry

With this month’s installment of my meandering natural history of the honey bee we arrive at a topic that is near and dear to my heart – the queen’s habit of mating with multiple males, storing their sperm in an organ called the spermatheca, and using the sperm to fertilize her life’s output of eggs. …

Posted April 1, 2016

Honey Crops of the Past Appeared much Different than Today

As Spring draws near, beekeepers begin to anticipate the honey season. The same was true in 1870. Beekeepers of the past wished, planned, and prayed for a bountiful season. While we share the same sentiments, their beekeeping conditions were vastly different from ours today. Movable frames were still spreading across the country, displacing fixed-comb hives. …

Posted April 1, 2016

The Rhamnaceae, The Buckthorn Family

The Rhamnaceae consists of about 58 genera (10 native to the US) and 900 species, which consist of trees, shrubs and vines, and only rarely, herbs. The family is found in many parts of the world. The leaves are simple (not compound) can be placed either alternately or oppositely on their stems and come with …

Posted March 1, 2016

EPA Releases the First of Four Preliminary Risk Assessments for Insecticides Potentially Harmful to Bees

First-of-its-kind assessment delivers on President Obama’s National Pollinator Strategy WASHINGTON– The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a preliminary pollinator risk assessment for the neonicotinoid insecticide, imidacloprid, which shows a threat to some pollinators. EPA’s assessment, prepared in collaboration with California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation, indicates that imidacloprid potentially poses risk to hives when the …

Posted March 1, 2016

Conflict Among Honey Bee Genes Supports Theory of Altruism

Using modern genetic approaches, a team of researchers has provided strong support for the long-standing, but hotly debated, evolutionary theory of kin selection, which suggests that altruistic behavior occurs as a way to pass genes to the next generation. The researchers — who include Christina Grozinger, distinguished professor of entomology, and David Galbraith, postdoctoral scholar …

Posted March 1, 2016

Colony Collapse Disorder – Eight Years Later

Over 3,000 entomologists and insect scientists from around the world descended on Minneapolis, MN to participate in the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America (ESA). The four day Synergy in Science conference ran from November 15th-18th, 2015. Bright and early on Sunday morning honey bee researchers convened in the convention center to …

Patricia Bohls, the recent recipient of the AAPA Scholarship Award

Posted March 1, 2016

Letters to the Editor – March 2016

AAPA Scholarship Award Recipient I am Patricia Bohls, the recent recipient of the AAPA Scholarship Award. I have attached for you a picture, a brief biography, and a summary of my proposal for your publication. Patricia Bohls Bohls, PA. – PROTEOMIC AND COMPARATIVE GENOMIC ANALYSIS OF SEMINAL FLUID IN APIS MELLIFERA DRONES FROM REGIONS WITH …

USDA Research Identifies Factors Causing Premature Commercial Honey Bee Queen Failure

Posted April 1, 2016