News tagged with bee colonies

Deadly fly parasite spotted for first time in honey bees

Honey bees can become the unwitting hosts of a fly parasite that causes them to abandon their hives and die after a bout of disoriented, "zombie-like" behavior, San Francisco State University researchers have ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jan 03, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (13) | comments 11 | with audio podcast

Citizen scientists help reveal bumblebee decline

The great British public has helped scientists uncover what looks like a substantial decline in one of the UK's most common bumblebees over the last 20 years.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 08, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1

Honey bee mystery protein is a freight train for health and lifespan

Why are bee colonies worldwide suffering mysterious deaths? A unique study describes a single bee protein that can promote bee health and solve a major economic challenge.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Nov 29, 2011 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (4) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

A widely used bee antibiotic may harm rather than help

Honey bee populations have been mysteriously falling for at least five years in the United States, but the cause of so-called colony collapse disorder (CCD) is still largely unknown.

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 02, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Antibiotic dangers trap bees in a Catch 22

Honey bees are trapped in a Catch 22 where antibiotics used to protect them from bacterial illnesses ravaging hives are making them die from commonly used pesticides, some of which are used to ward-off bee-killing ...

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 02, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Native bees are better pollinators than honeybees

(PhysOrg.com) -- The honeybee has hogged the pollination spotlight for centuries, but native bees are now getting their fair share of buzz: They are two to three times better pollinators than honeybees, are ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Oct 25, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

New research: Are global honey bee declines caused by diesel pollution?

Scientists are investigating a possible link between tiny particles of pollution found in diesel fumes and the global collapse of honey bee colonies.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Oct 07, 2011 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (7) | comments 2

Queen bee or worker bee? New insights into famous honeybee society caste system

Scientists are reporting deep new insights into whys and hows of the famous caste system that dominates honey bee societies, with a select few bee larvae destined for royalty and the masses for worker status. ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Sep 21, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Even low doses of insecticides put honeybees at risk

Scientists in France have discovered that honeybees are at a higher risk of dying from infection by Nosema ceranae (N. ceranae) when they are exposed to low doses of insecticides. The results, presented in ...

Biology / Ecology

created Sep 01, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 2

Beekeepers try to stop the pollinator's decline

Andrew Westrich lifted the top from a waist-high wood box in his suburban backyard.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Aug 23, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Monogamous queens help bees cooperate

(PhysOrg.com) -- New research published today in Nature Communications online journal suggests that monogamy and close genetic relationships work together to enhance the cooperative social structure of ins ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jul 20, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Breeding a better bee

The population of honeybees remains endangered, threatening the world's food supply, and scientists have decided that the best way to save the insects may be to breed a better bee.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jul 11, 2011 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (5) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Common eastern bumblebee can boost pumpkin yields

(PhysOrg.com) -- Each grinning jack-o'-lantern starts with yellow pollen grains, ferried from a male to a female pumpkin flower by bees. Honeybee populations are in decline, but Cornell entomologist Brian ...

Biology / Ecology

created Jul 06, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Canada seeks to breed a better honey bee

Following a massive bee die-off in parts of the world, two Canadian universities on Wednesday launched an effort to breed honey bees resistant to pests and diseases.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jun 29, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Study finds new bee viruses, offers baseline to study colony collapse

A 10-month study of healthy honey bees by University of California, San Francisco scientists has identified four new viruses that infect bees, while revealing that each of the viruses or bacteria previously ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jun 07, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast