Research finds honey bees may be at risk for colony collapse from longer, warmer fall seasons
The famous work ethic of honey bees might spell disaster for these busy crop pollinators as the climate warms, new research indicates.
The famous work ethic of honey bees might spell disaster for these busy crop pollinators as the climate warms, new research indicates.
Plants & Animals
Mar 25, 2024
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Scientists at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have developed an edible antiviral treatment that can be used to protect honey bees against deformed wing virus (DWV) ...
Biotechnology
Mar 19, 2024
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There are roughly 100 million managed western honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies in hives worldwide, with about half in Europe, Africa and western Asia, where the species is native, and the rest in the Americas, Oceania ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 5, 2024
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A tiny foe threatens Australian beekeepers' livelihood, our food supply and the national economy. First detected in New South Wales in 2022, the Varroa mite is now established in Australia.
Ecology
Feb 27, 2024
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1
As pollinators of flowers, trees and more than 50 crops, whereby they add an estimated $34 billion per year to the U.S. economy, honey bees offer value both ecological and economic—even before accounting for their signature ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 21, 2024
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Honey bees carrying nectar have the remarkable ability to adjust their flight behavior to avoid overheating when air temperatures increase, according to research led by a University of Wyoming scientist.
Plants & Animals
Feb 13, 2024
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Honey yields in the U.S. have been declining since the 1990s, with honey producers and scientists unsure why, but a new study by Penn State researchers has uncovered clues in the mystery of the missing honey.
Ecology
Jan 4, 2024
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It has long been known that exposure to pesticide sprays is harmful to honey bees. In a new study, researchers have uncovered the effect of such sprays on the sense of smell in bees, which could disrupt their social signals.
Plants & Animals
Dec 15, 2023
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196
This year's cold and flu season is bringing good news for honey bees. Penn State researchers have found that the deadly deformed wing virus (DMV) may have evolved to be less deadly in at least one U.S. forest. The findings ...
Ecology
Nov 10, 2023
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44
The federal government body in charge of pest control has announced Australia will abandon efforts on eradicating the Varroa mite.
Plants & Animals
Sep 21, 2023
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Honey (English pronunciation: /ˈhʌni/) is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees (the genus Apis) is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans. Honey produced by other bees and insects has distinctly different properties.
Honey bees transform nectar into honey by a process of regurgitation, and store it as a primary food source in wax honeycombs inside the beehive. Beekeeping practices encourage overproduction of honey so the excess can be taken from the colony.
Honey gets its sweetness from the monosaccharides fructose and glucose, and has approximately the same relative sweetness as that of granulated sugar. It has attractive chemical properties for baking, and a distinctive flavor that leads some people to prefer it over sugar and other sweeteners. Most microorganisms do not grow in honey because of its low water activity of 0.6. However, honey sometimes contains dormant endospores of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which can be dangerous to infants, as the endospores can transform into toxin-producing bacteria in the infant's immature intestinal tract, leading to illness and even death (see Health hazards below).
Honey has a long history of human consumption, and is used in various foods and beverages as a sweetener and flavoring. It also has a role in religion and symbolism. Flavors of honey vary based on the nectar source, and various types and grades of honey are available. It is also used in various medicinal traditions to treat ailments. The study of pollens and spores in raw honey (melissopalynology) can determine floral sources of honey. Because bees carry an electrostatic charge, and can attract other particles, the same techniques of melissopalynology can be used in area environmental studies of radioactive particles, dust or particulate pollution.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA