New studies show that bees prefer to forage on untreated or pesticide-laced food sources. Over time, individual bees who have visited treated flowers develop a preference for the taste. This creates a growing risk to their long-term health and colony success. Specifically neonicotinoids have been shown to affect bee nerve receptors triggering addictive behavior. Neonicotinoids...
A recent study involving 48 farms in two states shows that an abundance of wild bees means a lot of pollination. A Rutgers University study published in Science concludes that over a larger area, a variety of bee species is necessary in pollination. This study is the first of its kind to show that increased pollination...
A story published on www.northjersey.com calls for action against newly proposed beekeeping regulations. Hobby beekeepers say the regulations would discourage beginning beekeepers. The proposed regulations restrict hives in residential lots less than one-quarter acre where agriculture is not permitted. Residential lots of one-quarter to five acres would be allowed two hives. Hives that have been...
Fungicides have been found to be the strongest factor of declining bee populations determined by the first landscape-scale analysis. The exact method of how fungicides affect bees is being studied, but it is suspected that fungicides make bees more susceptible to parasites such as nosema. Scott McArt at Cornell University led the study published in...
A recent study conducted in London tackles the “traveling salesman problem” of foraging bees. The “traveling salesman problem” is the travelling distance between multiple destinations and a home base. The challenge is to find a route that visits each destination while traveling the shortest possible route. Bumblebees first explore their territory; and based on past...
