The University of Guelph is abuzz with anticipation now the ground has broken for a new $16 million honeybee research facility. The 15,000-square-foot Luckevich Pinchin Honey Bee Research Centre (HBRC) should be operational by 2025 and house North America’s most significant number of honeybee research colonies. Why it matters: The HBRC has operated since 1894, […] Read more
Tag Archives bees — page 2
U of G hits sweet spot with honeybee research centre
New centre to operate as hive of community engagement
U of G constructing new Honey Bee Research Centre
The University of Guelph announced the construction of a new Honey Bee Research Centre, which will be in operation by 2025. Construction on the Luckevich Pinchin Honey Bee Research Centre (HBRC) began at a groundbreaking event held at the university on June 14. The goal of the centre is to save honeybees from ongoing population declines […] Read more
Beekeepers call to reopen cross-border package bee trade
Ten years after the last risk assessment, some say it’s time to re-evaluate
Canadian beekeepers are calling for the federal government to reopen the border to the importation of U.S. package honeybees. Witnesses at a meeting of the House of Commons standing committee on agriculture and agri-food last Wednesday presented recommendations for what the government could do to resolve issues of honeybee health decline and bee mortality. The […] Read more
Fertilizers change how bumblebees ‘see’ flowers
Science Notes: Findings suggest the number of bees that visit a flower may be reduced
A new paper in PNAS Nexus, published by Oxford University Press, indicates that fertilizers and pesticides can change the way bees ‘see’ a flower, and this reduces the number of bees that visit a flower. Flowers produce a diverse range of cues and attractants to insects that promote feeding and pollination. Bees use colour, sun and magnetic […] Read more
Microbe protects honeybees by boosting nutrition
Science Notes: Specific microbe thrives in royal jelly
Indiana University researchers have identified a specific bacterial microbe that, when fed to honeybee larvae, can reduce the effects of nutritional stress on developing bees — one of the leading causes of honeybee decline. Humans rely on honeybees for food security. Because they will pollinate almost anything, honeybees are extremely useful for agriculture. But over […] Read more
Derecho dealt a heavy blow to beekeepers, maple syrup producers
Extreme weather and climate change could impact insurance in the future
A path of uprooted trees and domino-effect toppling was the result of a Derecho that whipped through Jamie Fortune’s Almonte, Ont.- area maple forests last month. “Practically, as maple farmers and forest managers, we respect natural forces, but they create danger and a lot of work and expense,” said the owner of Fortune Farms. On […] Read more
Ontario beekeepers reeling from triple-season hit
Poor weather and varroa mite extract heavy toll on colonies
A tough fall, unstable winter temperatures and a cool spring have conspired to take a major toll on honeybee populations in Ontario and throughout Canada. Populations of varroa mite, a parasitic pest that attacks honeybees, have also been high this spring. With limited means to control varroa, Canadian beekeepers could face losses even greater than […] Read more
A better way to track bee health
Tracking colonies used for pollination services allows beekeepers to prevent losses and make better management decisions
A new automated apiary management platform lets beekeepers track their hives individually to make better management decisions. According to Quebec-based start-up Nectar Technologies, the ultimate goal of BeeTrack is to help raise more sustainable bees. A third of the world’s crops depend on bee pollination and according to the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists, Canada’s […] Read more
Editorial: Bee open-minded about pollinator assumptions
Sometimes it’s good to check your assumptions at the door, but that seems to be a tougher action for people, especially with access to so much information that can reinforce your thoughts. Journalists are trained to do this early in their career and you get far more interesting and better stories when you arrive with […] Read more
Washington state eradicates first ‘murder hornet’ nest of the year
Nest found in northwestern county near B.C. border
Reuters — Washington state eradicated its first Asian giant hornet nest of the year by vacuuming out 113 worker hornets and removing bark and decayed wood near the nest, Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) officials said Thursday. The so-called stinging “murder hornets,” the world’s largest hornets, can grow to five centimetres in length and […] Read more
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