Lower crop yields expected if Canadian farmers can’t get bees into country
Canadian beekeepers buy thousands of packages of bees every year to replace hives that died over the winter, but this year those bees aren’t getting into the country.
And it could have ramifications for honeybee farmers, the agriculture industry and consumers.
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Article Courtesy of: Jamie Malbeuf · CBC News
Students at the University of Alberta have created a probiotic that could help save the local honeybee population – and in turn, your avocado toast.
Many of us know our bees need help, and the team of students say they may have some answers about how to help them.
“The bees are in trouble, but I don’t think a lot of people know specifically what’s up with the bees,” said Julia Heaton, a science student at the university.
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Notice anything missing in your garden this summer?
The extreme heat spell Manitoba has experienced has meant struggles for a number of plants, which in turn means struggles for both wild and domestic bees — at a time of year when there’s usually an abundance of the fuzzy insects.
“The problem we’re having right now with the extreme dryness is the plants are going into heat stress,” Ian Steppler of the Manitoba Beekeepers’ Association told 680 CJOB.
“The first thing a plant does when it goes into heat stress is it cuts back on all its expendable energy. The first thing that typically goes is the nectar production.”
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The biggest scourge to bees is tiny—a mite the size of a pinhead that feeds on them and spreads deadly viruses. Getting rid of the parasite, Varroa destructor, is tough: Chemicals can kill it, but the mite has started to evolve resistance to the usual pesticides; moreover, these and other treatments can harm the bees themselves. Now, researchers have toughened up a mite-killing fungus so it can slay the bee slayers inside a hot beehive. If the new strain passes further tests, it could help honey bees around the world avoid a gruesome fate, and reduce the use of chemical pesticides.
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Article Courtesy of: Science Mag
A bee-killing pesticide so poisonous that it is banned by the EU may be used on sugar beet in England, the government has announced.
The decision to allow temporary use of the pesticide prompted fury from nature-lovers and environmentalists, who accused ministers of bowing to pressure from farmers.
Read More: https://bit.ly/3ab2l6I
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Article Courtesy of https://www.independent.co.uk/
Honey may be more effective at treating respiratory symptoms than prescribed antibiotics, a study has claimed.
Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) impact the nose, throat, larynx and bronchi, the large air passages that lead from the windpipe to the lungs.
Examples of URTIs include the common cold, tonsillitis and laryngitis, while the flu can be an upper or a lower RTI, the NHS explains.
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Article courtesy of
Idependant
Sabrina Barr@fabsab5
A mushroom extract fed to honey bees greatly reduces virus levels, according to a new paper. In field trials, colonies fed mycelium extract showed a 79-fold reduction in deformed wing virus and a 45,000-fold reduction in Lake Sinai virus compared to control colonies. The hope is that the results of this research will help dwindling honey bee colonies fight viruses that are known to play a role in colony collapse disorder.
Article courtesy of ScienceDaily