Apiculture is the human-managed practice of maintaining honey bee (primarily Apis mellifera) colonies for the purposes of pollination services, hive products, and research. It encompasses the design and operation of artificial nesting systems (hives), colony reproduction management (e.g., swarming control, queen rearing, and genetic selection), nutritional supplementation, and health management targeting parasites, pathogens, and environmental stressors. As a human activity, apiculture interfaces with agricultural systems, landscape management, and biosecurity regulation, and provides an experimental framework for studying social insect biology, ecotoxicology, and the impacts of climate and land-use change on pollinator populations.
Southern California is home to a flying black-and-yellow treasure. While commercial honeybee hives nationwide are collapsing under attack from deadly parasites, a unique hybrid bee found only in this part of the state has ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 10, 2026
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290
North America's bee populations are in trouble, but don't blame the honey bees. While some people argue that an overabundance of managed honey bees—those raised to help pollinate crops and produce honey—is causing native ...
Ecology
Apr 9, 2026
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10
Every spring, Canadian beekeepers await the arrival of queen bees crucial to their industry. The queens that populate Canadian bee colonies through the season largely do not come from Canada at all.
Plants & Animals
Mar 29, 2026
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99
Wild bumblebees serve as key hosts for acute bee paralysis virus. While the virus appears to cause little harm to bumblebees, infection is usually fatal to honeybees. Until now, it was assumed that honeybees were the key ...
Ecology
Mar 24, 2026
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417
Biological invasions are a major driver of biodiversity loss and invasive pollinators can reshape native plant-pollinator networks. A new study published in the journal NeoBiota reveals that invasive pollinators are fundamentally ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 23, 2026
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120
A man-made food source provided honey bees a nutritious diet at a commercial scale over the course of two winter seasons, according to a new study led by Washington State University researchers. The study, published in the ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 12, 2026
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345
Honeybees collecting nectar from a "buffet" of Australian native plants made honey with anti-microbial abilities that is more potent than "single origin" honey made from only one source of plant or flower, a University of ...
Ecology
Mar 7, 2026
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360
A study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology has revealed the toxic "forever chemical," PFOS, can accumulate in exposed honeybee colonies and transfer to their honey, threatening pollinator viability, ...
Environment
Feb 26, 2026
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66
Researchers from the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the University of California, Davis, are helping beekeepers protect their colonies from destructive varroa mites. In a new study, the researchers investigate ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 19, 2026
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217
Late last year, the New South Wales government announced an additional A$9.5 million in funding to support honeybee keepers in the wake of the 2022 arrival and subsequent spread of the Varroa mite.
Plants & Animals
Jan 15, 2026
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