The Silence of the BeesFEATURE ARTICLE - March 19, 2007 by Hannah Nordhaus
Scanning electron microscope image of a bee loaded with pollen. DARWIN DALE/PHOTO RESEARCHERS INC.
The perilous existence of a migratory beekeeper amid a great bee die-off
By the time John Miller realized just how many of his bees were dying, the almonds were in bloom and there was nothing to be done. It was February 2005, and the hives should have been singing with activity, plump brown honeybees working doggedly to carry pollen from blossom to blossom. Instead they were wandering in drunken circles at the base of the hive doors, wingless, desiccated, sluggish, blasé. Miller is accustomed to death on a large scale. “The insect kingdom enjoys little cell repair,” he will often remind you. Even when things are going well, a hive can lose 1,000 bees a day. But the extent of his losses that winter defied even his insect-borne realism. In a matter of weeks, Miller lost almost half of his 13,000 hives — around 300 million bees. ....
Scanning electron microscope image of a bee loaded with pollen. DARWIN DALE/PHOTO RESEARCHERS INC.
The perilous existence of a migratory beekeeper amid a great bee die-off
By the time John Miller realized just how many of his bees were dying, the almonds were in bloom and there was nothing to be done. It was February 2005, and the hives should have been singing with activity, plump brown honeybees working doggedly to carry pollen from blossom to blossom. Instead they were wandering in drunken circles at the base of the hive doors, wingless, desiccated, sluggish, blasé. Miller is accustomed to death on a large scale. “The insect kingdom enjoys little cell repair,” he will often remind you. Even when things are going well, a hive can lose 1,000 bees a day. But the extent of his losses that winter defied even his insect-borne realism. In a matter of weeks, Miller lost almost half of his 13,000 hives — around 300 million bees. ....
for more from Hannah Nordhaus --
Honey Bee Die-off Alarms Beekeepers, Crop Growers And Researchers
Source:Penn State/College Of Agricultural Sciences
Date:April 23, 2007
More on:Agriculture and Food, Food, Exotic Species, Invasive Species, New Species, Insects and Butterflies
Science Daily — An alarming die-off of honey bees has beekeepers fighting for commercial survival and crop growers wondering whether bees will be available to pollinate their crops this spring and summer. Researchers are scrambling to find answers to what's causing an affliction recently named Colony Collapse Disorder, which has decimated commercial beekeeping operations in Pennsylvania and across the country.
Source:Penn State/College Of Agricultural Sciences
Date:April 23, 2007
More on:Agriculture and Food, Food, Exotic Species, Invasive Species, New Species, Insects and Butterflies
Science Daily — An alarming die-off of honey bees has beekeepers fighting for commercial survival and crop growers wondering whether bees will be available to pollinate their crops this spring and summer. Researchers are scrambling to find answers to what's causing an affliction recently named Colony Collapse Disorder, which has decimated commercial beekeeping operations in Pennsylvania and across the country.
Initial studies of dying colonies revealed a large number of disease organisms present, with no one disease being identified as the culprit, vanEngelsdorp explains. Ongoing case studies and surveys of beekeepers experiencing CCD have found a few common management factors, but no common environmental agents or chemicals have been identified.
More on: Computational Biology, Food, Genetics, Evolutionary Biology, Agriculture and Food, Insects and Butterflies
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070125115707.htm
Science Daily — Despite the fact that bees are one of the most beneficial insects in the world, much of their behavior remains a mystery -- even to the apiculturists who tend them. To better understand such fundamental processes as reproduction, and cope with problems such as bee mites and diseases, scientists are at work on a state-of-the-art genomics resource.
One of the databases, called "BeeBase" and funded by NIH, is a dedicated analysis-and-display environment for the honey bee genome that's he
aded by scientists at Texas A&M University. BeeBase also gives users the genome sequences for two key honey bee pathogens, Paenibacillus larvae and Ascosphaera apis--both genomic projects led by ARS.Honey beespollinate about 130 fruit, vegetable, nut, ornamental and fiber crops in the United States and contribute approximately $15 billion annually to the national economy through improved crop yields and product quality.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by USDA/Agricultural Research Service.
aded by scientists at Texas A&M University. BeeBase also gives users the genome sequences for two key honey bee pathogens, Paenibacillus larvae and Ascosphaera apis--both genomic projects led by ARS.Honey beespollinate about 130 fruit, vegetable, nut, ornamental and fiber crops in the United States and contribute approximately $15 billion annually to the national economy through improved crop yields and product quality.Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by USDA/Agricultural Research Service.
Bibliography -- See: also
The Biology of the Honeybee, Apis Mellifera
Honey Bee Die-off Alarms Beekeepers
Larry O'Hanlon, Discovery News @ http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/02/05/bees_ani_02.html?category=travel&guid=20070205144500
Larry O'Hanlon, Discovery News @ http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/02/05/bees_ani_02.html?category=travel&guid=20070205144500
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