Central Beekeepers Alliance : Clarity on Honey Bee Collapse?

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Clarity on Honey Bee Collapse? Posted: 17 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Beekeepers will be interested in highlights from an article published recently in Science magazine, called Clarity on Honey Bee Collapse?. It’s by Francis L. W. Ratnieks and Norman L. Carreck of the Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Sussex, UK. Over the past few years, the media have frequently reported deaths of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies in the United States, Europe, and Japan. Most reports express opinions but little hard science. It is not the mite itself that causes bee death, but a range of normally innocuous bee viruses that it carries. A recent study of beekeeping history pointed out that extensive colony losses are have occurred at different points in time in many parts of the world. In other words, Colony Collapse Disorder is not the unique event that media attention would lead us to believe — and concern for honey bees has been “magnified by their vital role in agriculture” in the United States, where the $2-billion-per-year California almond industry depends on the pollination services of honey bees. Theories as to the cause of CCD have ranged from mobile phones and genetically modified crops (theories that were quickly dismissed by scientists) to more credible theories that have been the subject of more serious research: pests and diseases, environmental and economic factors, and pesticides. Although full explanations for these losses are still debatable, the consensus seems to be that pests and pathogens are the single most important cause of colony losses. There is also growing evidence that the ability of a particular pathogen to kill colonies may depend on other factors, such as the Varroa mire — but it’s not the mite itself that is killing bees, Ratnieks and Carreck point out, but the bee viruses that it carries and passes from one weakened, stressed honeybee to another. Clarity on Honey Bee Collapse? Francis L. W. Ratnieks and Norman L. Carreck Science 8 January 2010: 152-153 Clarity on Honey Bee Collapse? was written and published by the Central Beekeepers Alliance - Honey Bees & Beekeeping in New Brunswick, Canada. For more information, please visit http://cba.stonehavenlife.com. No Related Post

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Central Beekeepers Alliance : Suspect Named in Canadian Bee Losses

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Suspect Named in Canadian Bee Losses Posted: 15 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Bees across Canada have declined by 30 to 40 percent every spring since 2006, and the numbers are similar across the northern hemisphere. It may come as a surprise to struggling beekeepers, then, that University of Guelph entomological researcher Dr. Ernesto Guzman says Colony Collapse Disorder may not even exist. In the past two years alone, hundreds of books have been published on the plight of domestic honeybees. “CCD is an arbitrary name,” Dr. Guzman told the Toronto Star, “designed by U.S. scientists to define a high mortality of colonies that have no explainable reason… Radio waves, even terrorist plots” are among some of the theories. Certainly, what’s going on in Canada is not the same as what’s been happening in the United States — our bees are not actually disappearing. And that’s the main symptom of CCD cases, that beekeepers don’t find dead bees in the hive. “It’s like they have died in the field and they never came back,” Dr. Guzman says. “We don’t see that in Canada, I believe, because in the winter they cannot fly out.” Instead, Canadian beekeepers tend to find piles of dead bees in the bottom of hives when they open them up in the spring. What's been killing off our Canadian honeybees? Varroa mites are strongly suspected. Heartbreaking for beekeepers, but those sad little corpses actually turn out to be a good thing for us, however — it means that Canadian bee researchers have something to study! And Guzman’s been doing just that. He followed 413 Ontario bee colonies for a year and took a close-up look at the 27 percent of those hives that didn’t make it through the winter. In a forthcoming report in the journal Apidologie, Guzman blames the varroa mite — that tiny crab-like parasite that sucks the blood out of bees, hopelessly weakening them so even if they aren’t killed outright they become more susceptible to disease –in combination with poor bee populations and low food reserves going into the winter. Suspect Named in Canadian Bee Losses was written and published by the Central Beekeepers Alliance - Honey Bees & Beekeeping in New Brunswick, Canada. For more information, please visit http://cba.stonehavenlife.com. “Chemical Warfare” Not Working for Many Canadian Beekeepers Conditions and Instructions for Apivar Use in Bee Hives PMRA Approves Emergency Use of Apivar in Canada

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Central Beekeepers Alliance : Automatic Beekeeping?

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Automatic Beekeeping? Posted: 12 Feb 2010 08:18 AM PST “Automatic hive – no beekeeper needed!” That’s what the man says, and offers an online manual with “detailed instructions for constructing and operating fully automatic hives, for which no bee knowledge is required of any kind, since only open to harvest.” I’m not sure if this method of beekeeping is (a) legal or (b) wise, in this part of the world — but the theory is certainly sure to get beekeepers thinking and talking! The website that explains this system is Apicultura Extensiva Natural by Oscar Perone, a professional beekeeper since 2002 and teacher of beekeeping at a college in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The photographs and diagrams are interesting in themselves, and Google will give you an English translation to read to get the details. Automatic Beekeeping? was written and published by the Central Beekeepers Alliance - Honey Bees & Beekeeping in New Brunswick, Canada. For more information, please visit http://cba.stonehavenlife.com. Video: Honey Bees Fighting Varroa Mites and Bee Louse Dennis vanEngelsdorp Video: Where have the bees gone? Rick Mercer Gets Beard of Bees

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CATCH THE BUZZ - Really, Bees on Nicotine & Caffeine?

CATCH THE BUZZ

Are bees also addicted to caffeine and nicotine?

A study carried out at the University of Haifa has found that bees prefer nectar with a small concentration of caffeine and nicotine over nectar that does not comprise these substances at all

From EurekAlert

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Bees prefer nectar with small amounts of nicotine and caffeine over nectar that does not comprise these substances at all, a study from the University of Haifa reveals. "This could be an evolutionary development intended, as in humans, to make the bee addicted," states Prof. Ido Izhaki, one of the researchers who conducted the study.

Flower nectar is primarily comprised of sugars, which provide energy for the potential pollinators. But the floral nectar of some plant species also includes small quantities of substances known to be toxic, such as caffeine and nicotine. The present study, carried out by researchers at the Department of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology and the Department of Science Education at the University of Haifa-Oranim, headed by Prof. Ido Izhaki along with Prof. Gidi Ne'eman, Prof. Moshe Inbar and Dr. Natarajan Singaravelan, examined whether these substances are intended to "entice" the bees or whether they are byproducts that are not necessarily linked to any such objective.

Nicotine is found naturally in floral nectar at a concentration of up to 2.5 milligrams per liter, primarily in various types of tobacco tree (Nicotiana glauca). Caffeine is found at concentration levels of 11-17.5 milligrams per liter, mostly in citrus flowers. In the nectar of grapefruit flowers, however, caffeine is present in much higher concentrations, reaching 94.2 milligrams per liter. In order to examine whether bees prefer the nectar containing caffeine and nicotine, the researchers offered artificial nectar that comprised various natural sugar levels and various levels of caffeine and nicotine, alongside "clean" nectar that comprised sugar alone. The caffeine and nicotine concentrations ranged from the natural levels in floral nectar up to much higher concentrations than found in nature.

The results showed that bees clearly prefer nectar containing nicotine and caffeine over the "clean" nectar. The preferred nicotine concentration was 1 milligram per liter, similar to that found in nature. Given a choice of higher levels of nicotine versus "clean" nectar, the bees preferred the latter.

According to the researchers, it is difficult to determine for sure whether the addictive substances in the nectar became present in an evolutionary process in order to make pollination more efficient. It can be assumed, however, based on the results of the study, that the plants that survived natural selection are those that developed "correct" levels of these addictive substances, enabling them to attract and not repel bees, thereby giving them a significant advantage over other plants. The researchers emphasized that this study has proved a preference, not addiction, and they are currently examining whether the bees do indeed become addicted to nicotine and caffeine.

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Central Beekeepers Alliance : Central Beekeepers Meet 9 March 2010

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Central Beekeepers Meet 9 March 2010 Posted: 09 Feb 2010 03:10 PM PST Central Beekeepers will hold our regular monthly meeting on 9 March 2010 at the Agricultural Research Centre, Fredericton, New Brunswick (see the map on the ‘Meet Us’ page). Tuesday, 9 March 2010 Central Beekeepers Alliance Meeting Agricultural Research Centre, Fredericton, NB 7:30 p.m. Visitors and new beekeepers are welcome. Central Beekeepers Meet 9 March 2010 comes from the Central Beekeepers Alliance of New Brunswick, Canada. For more information on Honey Bees and Beekeeping, please: * Visit http://cba.stonehavenlife.com * Subscribe to our RSS feed * Get free updates by e-mail Central Beekeepers Meet 9 February 2010 Thank You to Local Businesses Central Beekeepers Meet 12 January 2010

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CATCH THE BUZZ - Clorox Company Does Good

CATCH THE BUZZ

The Clorox Company – It Pays To Do Good

 

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The Clorox Company is a leading manufacturer and marketer of consumer products with fiscal year 2009 revenues of $5.5 billion. Clorox markets some of consumers' most trusted and recognized brand names, including its namesake bleach and cleaning products; Green Works® natural cleaners; Armor All® and STP® auto-care products; Fresh Step® and Scoop Away® cat litter; Kingsford® charcoal; Hidden Valley® and K C Masterpiece® dressings and sauces; Brita® water-filtration systems; Glad® bags, wraps and containers; and Burt's Bees® natural personal care products. With approximately 8,300 employees worldwide, the company manufactures products in more than two dozen countries and markets them in more than 100 countries. Clorox is committed to making a positive difference in the communities where its employees work and live. Founded in 1980, The Clorox Company Foundation has aw arded cash grants totaling more than $77 million to nonprofit organizations, schools and colleges. In fiscal 2009 alone, the foundation awarded $3.6 million in cash grants, and Clorox made product donations valued at $7.8 million. For more information about Clorox, visit www.TheCloroxCompany.com.

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CATCH THE BUZZ - GLOBAL HONEY MARKET TO EXPAND, BIG TIME

CATCH THE BUZZ

Global Honey Market to Expand, BIG TIME

By Alan Harman

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The global honey market is forecast to exceed 1.9 million tons by 2015.

   A new report by California-based Global Industry Analyst Inc. (GIA) says the market is being primarily driven by increasing awareness levels and health consciousness among the consumers, leading to increasing demand for healthy and natural food products.

   In line with the trend, several honey producers are launching new products and varieties at regular intervals. The increasing trend of organic and healthy spreads is expected to continue giving rise to new variants and flavors in the global honey market.

   “Increasing preference among consumers for honey-based products, is leading to a boost in the variety and assortment of honey based food products, baby products, yogurts and drinks,” the report, which GIA is selling for $3,950, says. “Moreover, honey contains antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and proteins, making itself an appealing ingredient as compared to artificial sweeteners.”

   Europe and the Asia Pacific, including Japan, dominates the global honey market, the report says but warns the global honey sector is not devoid of any challenges.

   Honeybee losses represent one of the major challenges encountered by honey sector worldwide. Honeybees are also susceptible to threats such as environmental stress, pests and diseases, among others. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) leading to death and disappearance of honeybees, is another key challenge faced by the global honey sector.

   Lately, the U.S. honey sector is facing a steep decline in production volumes triggered by declining number of bee colonies, and increased costs, leading to rising honey prices.

  Apart from disease and pests, including colony collapse disorder, the report says calamities such as drought and wildfire also affected the bee production and costs in the recent past. Various macroeconomic factors such as U.S. dollar depreciation and weak economic conditions also led to the price rise in the honey market.

   The report says key players dominating the Global Honey Market include Bee Maid, Billy Bee Honey, Capilano Honey, Comvita Ltd., Dabur India Ltd,, Dutch Gold Honey Inc., Golden Acres Honey, Hebei Wuqiao Mtl. Co. Ltd., Odem International Inc., Rowse Honey Ltd, Shriro Pvt. Ltd., Sioux Honey Association and Yanbian Baolixiang Beekeeping Co. Ltd.

   The report titled Honey: A Global Strategic Business Report, provides a comprehensive review of industry overview, product overview, product introductions/innovations, profiles of major players, and recent industry activity.

   The study analyzes market data and analytics in terms of volume sales for regions including the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.

   For more details about this comprehensive market research report, visit -

http://www.strategyr.com/Honey_Market_Report.asp

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 Subscribe to Malcolm Sanford’s Apis Newsletter right here For a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and around the globe, check out Bee Culture’s Global Beekeeping Calendar

 

This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping, published by the A.I. Root Company.