From pesticides to land development to electromagnetic pollution, humans often harm the ability of honeybees to reproduce. Article by Elizabeth Anne Brown on the National Geographic
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The successful demonstration of remote-controlled “drones-bees” by Netherlands’ Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) has been making news recently. But the buzz surrounding the drone’s applications could be much hyped, according to at least two independent estimates by biologists, reports Vishwam Sankaran for Science journal.
Interesting article from Matthew Appleby about research sponsored by a leading pesticide manufacturer.
Two specific enzymes, one in the honeybee and one in the bumblebee, may help find a new generation of insecticides that protect crops without threatening the pollinators.
Bee pollen is believed to possess many health boosting properties
Honeybee larvae develop into queen bees only when they are fed large quantities of a food known as royal jelly. But royal jelly does more than determine whether a larva becomes a queen: it also keeps her safely anchored to the roof of the structure, called a queen cell, in which she develops. Research published in Current Biology explains the role that the pH of royal jelly plays in making the substance viscous enough to keep the queen-to-be from falling.
Modern monoculture farming, commercial forestry and even well-intentioned gardeners could be making it harder for honeybees to store food and fight off diseases, a new study suggests.