Beekeeping in Vermont

Beekeeping in Vermont

CATCH THE BUZZ: Why Do Bees Sting?

Researchers have unraveled the neuro-molecular mechanism of defense by honey bees when exposed to the sting alarm pheromone that they release in the face of a threat.
 
The team of researchers led by Prof. Martin Giurfa from the Universite de Toulouse in Toulouse, France has found that smelling isoamyl acetate, the main component in the alarm pheromone, increases the level of serotonin and dopamine in their brains, which, in turn, increases the stinging behaviour in bees and thus repels a threat. By itself, the alarm pheromone does not behave as a stimulus but increases the likelihood of bees guarding the hive to repel a threat by stinging.
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Last Updated: 21 March 2018 21 March 2018

What's bugging our bees?

There are approximately 20,000 bee species in the world and 1,600 species in California. Despite this diversity, honey bees are still arguably the most important managed pollinator, and this brief overview willfocus on issues plaguing this charismatic insect. However, many of the same stressors are certainly affecting other pollinator populations. In agriculture, honey bees are used for pollinating numerous food plants that make our diets more exciting and nutritious, including many fruits, vegetables and nuts, and they are a crucial contributor to healthy ecosystems.

However, beekeepers in the past decade have been reporting annual honey bee colony losses that have reached 45%, which is more than double the acceptable loss deemed by beekeepers.

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Last Updated: 19 March 2018 19 March 2018

Effects of oxalic acid on honey bee larval development

In 2015 oxalic acid was approved by the EPA for use as a pesticide for mite control in the United states (Reinhold, D). The mite Varroa destructor feeds on the hemolymph of immature and adult honeybees causing deformed wings in developing bees and reduced lifespan in adult bees (Ellis, J. 2010).
 
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Last Updated: 19 March 2018 19 March 2018

CATCH THE BUZZ : Sick Bees Eat Healthier.

In the study, published recently in the journal Microbial Ecology, the researchers first gave groups of bees different kinds of pollen. They found that sick bees, and not healthy bees, lived longer when they had access to the pollen that was more nutritious, even though it also increased the number of parasites found in their gut.

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Last Updated: 14 March 2018 14 March 2018

How Honey Bee Gut Bacteria Help to Digest Their Pollen-rich Diet

 
The honey bee gut is colonized by specialized bacteria that help digest components of the floral pollen diet and produce molecules that likely promote bee health. In a recent study published in PLOS Biology, a group of researchers from Switzerland uncovered which bacterial species perform which specific digestive functions in the bee gut.
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Last Updated: 14 March 2018 14 March 2018

CATCH THE BUZZ : Study Finds Parallels between Unresponsive Honey Bees and Human Autism

Honey bees that consistently fail to respond to obvious social cues share something fundamental with autistic humans, researchers report in a new study. Genes most closely associated with autism spectrum disorders in humans are regulated differently in unresponsive honey bees than in their more responsive nest mates, the study found.

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Last Updated: 14 March 2018 14 March 2018

More Articles ...

  1. Honey Bees: USDA CCD Summary
  2. Fred Putnam Jr.....Some thoughts from the SABA meeting.

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