Vermont Beekeepers Association

Apiology

The study of honeybees...

The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign Scientists Report on Honey Bee Stressors

The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) is a collaborative group of scientists, government agencies, NGO’s, private industries and agricultural and environmental concerns that work together to bring the plight of pollinators to national attention and to be the most trusted resource for information and behaviors in support of pollinating animals and the plants with which they interact.

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Do managed bees have negative effects on wild bees?: A systematic review of the literature

Managed bees are critical for crop pollination worldwide. As the demand for pollinator-dependent crops increases, so does the use of managed bees. Concern has arisen that managed bees may have unintended negative impacts on native wild bees, which are important pollinators in both agricultural and natural ecosystems.

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Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and bee age impact honey bee pathophysiology

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies continue to experience high annual losses that remain poorly explained. Numerous interacting factors have been linked to colony declines. Understanding the pathways linking pathophysiology with symptoms is an important step in understanding the mechanisms of disease.

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A clue on bee glue: New insight into the sources and factors driving resin intake in honeybees (Apis mellifera)

Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are threatened by numerous pathogens and parasites. To prevent infections they apply cooperative behavioral defenses, such as allo-grooming and hygiene, or they use antimicrobial plant resin. Resin is a chemically complex and highly variable mixture of many bioactive compounds.

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Honey bee diseases and pests: a practical guide

Honey bees play a vital role in the environment by pollinating both wild flowers and many agricultural crops as they forage for nectar and pollen, in addition to producing honey and beeswax.

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Catch the Buzz

General Beekeeping News...

Beekeeping in Vermont...

Research focuses on varroa mite control

Because developing varroa mites are sealed inside a capped brood cell with developing bee larvae, they are protected from miticides. Artificially forcing the colony to become broodless for a short period would eliminate those hiding places and could offer better mite control with a single miticide treatment.

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United States Honey Production Down 9 Percent for Operations with Five or More Colonies in 2017

United States honey production in 2017 from producers with five or more colonies totaled 148 million pounds, downUnited States honey production in 2017 from producers with five or more colonies totaled 148 million pounds, down9 percent from 2016. There were 2.67 million colonies producing honey in 2017, down 4 percent from 2016. Yield per colony averaged 55.3 pounds, down 5 percent from the 58.3 pounds in 2016.

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Unravelling the Molecular Determinants of Bee Sensitivity to Neonicotinoid Insecticides

The impact of neonicotinoid insecticides on the health of bee pollinators is a topic of intensive research and considerable current debate [1]. As insecticides, certain neonicotinoids, i.e., N-nitroguanidine compounds such as imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, are as intrinsically toxic to bees as to the insect pests they target.

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'Virtually sting-proof' bee suit made after allergy concern

The Sentinel Pro 3D Bee Suit, created by Ian Roberts, is made from material thicker than the average bee sting.

The suit is being used by horticulture students at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in Carmarthenshire.

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Draft Guidance for Industry: Declaration of Added Sugars on Honey, Maple Syrup, and Certain Cranberry Products

The purpose of this draft guidance is to advise food manufacturers of our intent to exercise enforcement discretion related to the use in the Nutrition Facts label of a symbol immediately after the added sugars percent Daily Value information on single-ingredient packages and/or containers of pure honey or pure maple syrup and on certain dried cranberry and cranberry juice products that are sweetened with added sugars and that contain total sugars at levels no greater than comparable products with endogenous (inherent) sugars, but no added sugars.

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CATCH THE BUZZ : 16 Grants to Address Declining Pollinator Health.

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2018 -The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, a nonprofit established through bipartisan congressional support in the 2014 Farm Bill, today announced 16 grants totaling $7 million for research to address declining pollinator health, an ongoing threat to agricultural productivity in the United States. The FFAR awards are matched by more than 50 companies, universities, organizations and individuals for a total investment of $14.3 million toward research and technology development.

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