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beekeepingfiji · 4 years

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Disease Survey of Honey Bees in Vanuatu - PHAMA Technical Report 34

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Disease Survey of Honey Bees in Vanuatu - PHAMA Technical Report 34

An AusAID initiative is to increase exports of high value primary products from Pacific Island Countries (PICs). The Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Program (PHAMA) is designed to address constraints to market access for primary production products, including honey and other bee products. PHAMA funded the current bee disease survey to support the growth of the beekeeping industry in Vanuatu by establishing the disease status of the local honey bees and using this information as a basis for quarantine regulations and market access negotiations.

The bee disease survey was carried out by Byron Taylor and Tony Roper, AsureQuality Limited, New Zealand, from 17–27 October 2012. The last bee disease survey conducted in Vanuatu was done by Bettesworth and Grueber in 2000.

Gilbert Gibson has the largest hive holding in Vanuatu, currently managing approximately 250 colonies. A second beekeeper, Ian Shaw, operates around 70 colonies, and a number of individuals operate less than 6 hives.

Apiary Industry in Vanuatu

It is estimated that there are around 400 managed colonies in Vanuatu, with 90% or more on Efate. The annual honey crop is approximately 5 tonnes per year, all of which is consumed within Vanuatu. The estimated consumption is around 10 tonnes, with the shortfall being made up with imports of honey from Australia and France (Gilbert Gibson, pers. comm.).

Gilbert Gibson has been beekeeping in Vanuatu for many years but has recently moved to full-time beekeeping. It is his hope to increase his current hive numbers to increase production for local consumption in the short term, with the potential to move into export markets in the long term.

In addition to European bees, the Asian Honey Bee (Apis cerana) has recently been discovered on Efate. It is unsure how long Apis cerana has been in Vanuatu but, judging by its distribution and comments from Gilbert Gibson, anywhere from 2 to 4 years is realistic.

A component of the current survey was to assess the spread of Apis cerana and, in particular, whether it is present on the islands of Espiritu Santo, Malekula and Tanna.

Currently, honey and other bee products entering New Zealand from a number of PICs must be accompanied by a zoosanitary certificate issued by the veterinary authority of the exporting country which certifies that:

The honey originates from that country; and

The country is free from European foulbrood (EFB) caused by Melissococcus pluton. 1

Vanuatu is not included on the list of PICs covered by this import health standard (IHS), so access to New Zealand would need to be separately negotiated.

New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), formerly the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, revised the IHS for Specified Processed Bee Products in June 2009. However, this standard is on hold while issues with a similar IHS for bee products from Australia are resolved.

European foulbrood (EFB)

EFB is a bacterial disease that affects the developing brood and is controlled in many countries by feeding antibiotics to beehives. EFB-causing bacteria can be transmitted in bee products, especially honey and pollen.

EFB disease has never been detected in Vanuatu or New Zealand but regular surveys by competent personnel, and reporting to international authorities, are required to confirm this status. EFB is present in Australia.

In addition, honey exported to the European Union must come from apiaries of known disease history. This usually means an apiary database is being maintained annual bee disease surveys are being carried out, and beekeepers are reporting on the presence of listed bee diseases.

The survey team inspected 193 beehives

The survey team inspected 193 beehives for bee diseases and pests, in particular EFB and its associated secondary bacterium Paenibacillus alvei.

Samples were also taken from 34 hives for testing for Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) and four known strains of Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV), the microsporidian Nosema ceranae, the internal or tracheal mite Acarapis woodi and the external mites Varroa sp and Tropilaelaps.

All these diseases, except DWV, A. woodi and the external mites, were raised as pathogens of concern by the beekeeping industry in New Zealand following the risk analysis done by MPI to allow heat-treated honey from Australia into New Zealand. DWV was found in New Zealand in 2007, and A. woodi and the external mites Varroa sp and Tropilaelaps are not transmitted in honey.

Varroa destructor is endemic in New Zealand. Since the IHS was reviewed, MPI has confirmed the presence of P. alvei and Nosema ceranae in New Zealand. A nationwide survey, plus ongoing annual sampling and testing, has not detected the presence of IAPV in New Zealand, and it remains a bee disease of concern with New Zealand beekeepers (McFadden, Tham et al 2012).

Bees were tested for DWV, Nosema ceranae, the tracheal mite and Varroa spp and Tropilaelaps, in case Vanuatu is in a position to export live bees, queen cells or drone semen in the future. However, the presence of Apis cerana and Varroa jacobsoni could limit the export potential of this material.

No cases of EFB or American foulbrood (AFB) were detected, despite a case of AFB being discovered in the previous survey in 2000 and an additional case being discovered earlier this year by Mr Gilbert Gibson and Mr Nambo Moses. The recent find was in the same area as the original discovery in 2000.

American foulbrood (AFB)

AFB is one of the most widespread and serious honey bee diseases in the world. This disease is endemic in New Zealand and is controlled by inspection and total destruction of infected material.

Some approved beekeepers can recover infected equipment by dipping in paraffin wax heated to 1600C for at least 10 minutes. AFB is subject to a Pest Management Strategy in New Zealand. It is recommended that for Vanuatu, AFB is included in an annual surveillance program and that any infected material found is destroyed.

Varroa jacobsoni

Varroa jacobsoni was identified in European honey bee colonies during the survey. Samples of these mites were taken for morphological and molecular analysis, which confirmed the identification.

The survey in Vanuatu achieved a hive inspection rate of 48% and a hive sampling rate of 8.5%, from a population of approximately 400 hives. New Zealand has a target inspection rate of 1.4% of hives under its exotic honey bee disease surveillance program. However, all hives in New Zealand must be inspected for AFB disease each year by an approved beekeeper, which increases the possibility of beekeepers finding a notifiable exotic bee disease or pest.

The survey team inspected 46 apiaries and 21 feral colony locations. While there is no official apiary register, it is estimated that we inspected around 80% of managed apiaries, compared to New Zealand’s target surveillance rate of 2.6%.

Apis cerana (Asian Honey Bee)

Apis cerana was confirmed on Efate and the two nearby islands of Pele and Emao, which lie north of Efate. Four samples were collected (three from Efate and one from Emao) and submitted to the laboratory for testing. These colonies were subjected to a brood inspection where possible.

Apis cerana was not detected on Santo, Malekula or Tanna. Eradication of the Asian bees (Apis cerana) from Efate, Pele and Emao is not feasible; however, awareness raising measures such as posters at ports and pamphlets for commercial and recreational sailors could help to reduce the chance of the Asian bees spreading between islands.

Laboratory analysis of bee samples did not detect any cases of DWV and IAPV, the tracheal mite Acarapis woodi, or the external mites Varroa destructor and Tropilaelaps. The external mites Acarapis externus and Acarapis dorsalis were detected on many bees. These mites are common in New Zealand and are not known to cause any damage to honey bees.

Nosema ceranae

The microsporidian Nosema ceranae was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 13 of the 24 apiaries tested (54%). Previous surveys did not test for the presence of Nosema ceranae, so it is unclear how long it has been present in Vanuatu. Nosema ceranae has only recently been confirmed in New Zealand using PCR technology. It is not known what effect, if any, this species of nosema is having on honey bees either in New Zealand or in Vanuatu.

EFB disease has never been reported in Vanuatu and no evidence of this disease was found during this survey or during past surveys. No cases of tracheal mites or the Small Hive Beetle were found. There was no evidence of the African honey bee (Apis mellifera scutellata) or the Cape honey bee (Apis mellifera capensis). These diseases or pests are not transmitted through honey.

Other minor diseases were reconfirmed as being present, such as both the greater and lesser wax moths (which exist in New Zealand). Various species of ants, cockroaches, centipedes and lizards living in or around hives were also found, but these are not transmitted live in honey.

The risk pathways into Vanuatu

The risk pathways into Vanuatu for an exotic honey bee disease or pest are considerable, with ongoing importation of honey from France and Australia, regular shipping and air flights from a number of countries, plus visiting cruise ships and yachts, which could have honey on board.

The number of tourists representing a risk visiting Vanuatu has dropped slightly in recent years but has grown considerably since the last survey was completed.

As an indication, the number of accommodation rooms available almost doubled from 800 to more than 1500 between 2005 and 2011 (http://www.tms.com.vu/statisitics1.html).

Importation of honey into Vanuatu

Importation of honey into Vanuatu is managed under the “Animal Importation and Quarantine Act, 1988” and the “Animal Importation and Quarantine Regulations, 1994”. These documents require that honey imports are accompanied by an import permit which states:

“Permission for import is granted under the following conditions:

Contain no substances harmful to human health;

Have been processed, prepared, packaged, and transported according to the required public health legislation in the country of origin;

Have been heat treated or pasteurised;

No raw honey or combs are permitted entry.”

In order to retain stability in the local market as honey production increases, it will be necessary to investigate export opportunities. Export to New Zealand is currently allowed from some PICs; however, Vanuatu is not included in this IHS.

If Vanuatu were to negotiate its own conditions, New Zealand would likely require similar conditions to those currently imposed on other PICs.

This includes attesting to the country of origin of the product and certifying that Vanuatu is free of EFB. A surveillance program to address this issue is recommended and discussed in more detail in the report.

This surveillance program could also support the negotiation of export protocols to other export markets.

Disease Survey of Honey Bees in Vanuatu – PHAMA Technical Report 34

Download Disease Survey of Honey Bees in Vanuatu – PHAMA Technical Report 34

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cuisinepinup · 4 years

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🅹🅾🆄🆁🅽🅴́🅴 🅼🅾🅽🅳🅸🅰🅻🅴 🅳🅴🆂 🅰🅱🅴🅸🅻🅻🅴🆂 . . . Le 20 mai coïncide avec l'anniversaire d'Anton Janša. Cet 'apiculteur slovène est aujourd'hui reconnu comme le père de l'apiculture moderne. Il a rendu hommage à l'abeille pour sa capacité à travailler dur tout en n'ayant besoin que de peu d'attention... mais aujourd'hui l'abeille vit des jours difficiles avec une mortalité en croissante et préoccupante. Ceci est dû à plusieurs raisons : le dérèglement climatique, les virus et agents pathogènes, les acariens (varroa destructor), les parasites (nosema ceranae), la disparition des habitats naturels liée aux monocultures et, bien évidemment à l'abus de traitements par produit phytosanitaires. N'oublions pas que nos abeilles nous sont Indispensables. Elles jouent un rôle clé en tant que pollinisatrices, et les menaces auxquelles elles sont confrontées les empêchent de jouer ce rôle et mettent en péril notre biodiversité. Cette journée existe pour nous amener à réfléchir sur les enjeux et modifier nos comportements. #cuisinepinup #instafood #instamiam #journeemondialedesabeilles #abeilles #miel https://www.instagram.com/p/CAZywfhB-oU/?igshid=1s2l1u8rog9m2

#cuisinepinup #instafood #instamiam #journeemondialedesabeilles #abeilles #miel

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savethebeesdeb · 5 years

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Bee Conservation

Did you know that a commonly used pesticide is causing our fellow bees to die?

Neonincotinoids

Neonicotinoids is a toxic chemical that is used to maintain our garden and crops.

Now you may think to yourself, “How does this affect the bees?”

This chemical is used to help protect our crops from insects and mites who eat crops. It’s also used to keep weeds from overgrowing. This pesticide is used by farmers, gardeners or even homeowners in order to keep insects from eating plants and flowers.

This chemical is is sprayed onto crops and it gets absorbed by the plant.

Once the plant fully grows, a bee will pollinate the plant and intake the toxic chemical as well.This chemical is present in pollen and nectar, making it harmful for bees.

Another way it can harm bees is when farmers spray this toxic chemical onto crops, a bee may fly into a dusk of neonicotinoids and intake the chemical.

Israeli Acute Virus

Scientist also believe that viruses are another contributing factor to Colony Collapse Disorder.

One example would be Israeli acute paralysis virus.

Now you may think to yourself, “What is this virus exactly?”

This virus spread among honey bees and has been linked to colony losses around the world. This virus causes the wings of bees to shiver and darkened hairless abdomen, progressing into paralysis and then death. Researchers have performed a few studies by examining a healthy hive and fed the bees sugary water laden with Israeli acute paralysis virus in order for the bees to mimic some symptoms of Colony Collapse Disorder.

And the results were...Yes! The bees did mimic symptoms

But additional sampling was done and it was seen that some bees who had this virus were able to naturally get rid of the virus. This concludes that this virus is just a contributing factor.

Nosema Bombi

Another contributing factor to Colony Collapse Disorder is Nosema Bombi. This is a unicellular parasite that affects bumble bees. The parasite can be found in the gut lumen and Malpighian tubules of the infected bees’. It’s released into the environment through feces and decaying bee.

How can this parasite spread to other bees?

Scientist believe that commercial bees, which are bees who are strictly used to pollinate crops in a green house somehow find a way out and pollinate the same plant as wild bees.

Another way this parasite can spread is though feces, which is basically bee poop and a decaying bee,

Fun fact: Did you know that bees are clean insects! They don’t use the bathroom inside their hive, instead they go outside!

So lets sum of some of the many contributing factors to Colony Collapse Disorder.

1. Parasite

2.Pesticide

3.Virus

Remember, there are MANY other contributing factors, but scientist have NOT found the primary factor!

The link below will explain more how pesticide is harmful to our fellow pollinators!

youtube

#savethebees

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save--bees · 7 years

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Did you know that bees have two pairs of wings? When these pairs get unhooked from each other, the bee looks like a double “K.” This is a symptom of many things, including the nosema fungi, acarapis woodi, and deformed wing virus.

#CCD #bees #fun fact #acarapis woodi #tracheal mites #Nosema #deformed wing virus #varroa mites #K-wing #colony collapse disorder #parasites #fungus

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milkdongcomics · 4 months

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World Bee Day 2024 世界蜜蜂日 ANIMAN - SICK BEE HEY HUMAN, SEE WHAT YOU DO!? Pre-order: https://a.co/d/6SrfkMf Instagram: milkdongcomics Facebook: Milk DoNg Comics

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kathleenseiber · 4 years

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Do all animals socially isolate to avoid disease?

A review exploring how different animals, from bats and lobsters to frogs, gorillas and bees, deal with the planet’s growing problem of infectious disease outbreaks has found that some appear to become less social, but not all.

For social animals, including humans, isolation may prevent the spread of disease, but it can cause other problems that may be as bad as the infection, according to the paper published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

It’s a conundrum. Dealing with infectious disease “could mean the difference between persistence and extinction,” write Andrea Townsend, from Hamilton College, US, and colleagues.

But social isolation comes at a cost. In humans, loneliness contributes to poor health, higher mortality, and, ironically, lower immunity.

Hypervigilance can lead to rejection of outgroup members and avoidance of “foreign others”, which Townsend and co-authors say “might therefore favour the balance towards a more risk-averse, more xenophobic and less social phenotype”.

What about other animals?

Some animals like fish and finches are also hypervigilant, avoiding others with visual signs of disease, such as lethargy or unusual appearance. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have been known to shun group members who show behavioural changes after recovering from polio.

On the other hand, it can increase closeness between ingroup members. Mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), for example, appear to make grooming of close kin more important than avoiding infection.

Humans also have redeeming qualities, the authors note, as illness can bring people together and bond families.

Other examples of costs versus benefits include western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla); those who were more solitary in Congo had less risk of dying from Ebola. But isolation could increase their vulnerability to predators.

The gregarious Caribbean spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) avoid others that are infected with the lethal P. argus virus (PaV1). This seems to be making them less social, with potential impacts on their breeding, growth, and survival.

Some Indiana bats (Myotis sodalist), which face extinction risk from white-nose syndrome (Geomyces destructans), have reduced their group size. But to hibernate in isolation they need to produce more energy to stay warm.

Credit: Neil Overy / Science Photo Library

Some eusocial insects seem to have a selfless approach. Foraging honeybees (Apis mellifera) infected with the emerging pathogens Varroa destructor or Nosema sp. are less likely to return to their hive, dying alone, thereby sacrificing themselves to avoid infecting the colony.

Reminiscent of social bubbles that have helped humans mitigate the spread of COVID-19, some species limit their movement between groups, such as the black garden ant (Lasius niger).

On the other hand, social isolation does not appear to be favoured for infectious diseases that may be better mitigated through groups.

American robins (Turdus migratorius) and sentinel house sparrows (Passer domesticus), for instance, who roost together when the West Nile virus is rife are less likely to be bitten by infected mosquitoes.

Grey wolves (Canis lupus) infected with the chronic illness sarcoptic mange similarly fare better in groups.

What does it all mean for us?

Townsend and others suggest social pressures from infectious disease are likely to grow as their risk increases with overpopulation, poverty, intensive agriculture and global trade.

We do have an advantage with diagnostic tests, contact tracing, virtual communication and social media, challenging us to find better ways to buffer the impacts and maintain robust social relationships.

Do all animals socially isolate to avoid disease? published first on https://triviaqaweb.weebly.com/

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norbertemileleonbonimond · 5 years

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Chère amie, cher ami,

Un drame encore méconnu se joue actuellement dans les ruchers...

...dont les conséquences pourraient être dévastatrices pour le fonctionnement naturel de nos écosystèmes, et l'ensemble de la chaîne alimentaire.

Apis mellifera mellifera, notre abeille locale et maillon-clef de la biodiversité, qui est installée sur nos territoires depuis des millénaires, qui n'a cessé de prouver ses capacités de résistance et d'adaptation en survivant à deux glaciations, aux hivers rudes, aux canicules insoutenables, à la domestication par l'homme, est sur le point de succomber à l'intensification de l'agriculture et de l'apiculture?

...et cela, bien plus rapidement qu'on ne le pense :

Selon les scientifiques qui tirent la sonnette d'alarme depuis des années, si nous n'agissons pas maintenant pour sauver cette butineuse irremplaçable, elle pourrait être définitivement rayée de la carte d'ici 15 ans...

...et avec elle, son précieux patrimoine génétique qui pourrait se révéler essentiel dans un proche avenir, en raison de sa capacité d'adaptation aux bouleversements climatiques.

Aujourd'hui, POLLINIS fait appel à vous, et à toutes les personnes ayant à coeur de préserver notre environnement en sauvant ce petit pollinisateur qui a butiné sans relâche les fleurs de nos vergers et de nos potagers pendant des siècles : aidez-nous à faire connaître cette tragédie et à mobiliser le plus grand nombre possible de citoyens pour protéger notre abeille locale menacée.

Attaquées de toutes parts, par les pesticides déversés dans les champs, par la suppression des haies et de leurs fleurs sauvages, au profit de la monoculture intensive, par les parasites et les agents infectieux que l'on retrouve désormais dans les ruches (varroa, Nosema ceranae, virus, bactéries, champignons), par de nouvelles espèces prédatrices (frelon asiatique) qu'elles ne peuvent naturellement combattre... nos abeilles noires sont sans défense... Mais ce n'est pas tout.

Une autre menace pèse aussi sur leur survie. Pour pallier le déclin dramatique de leurs colonies, les grands producteurs de miel importent massivement des reines de pays étrangers... des abeilles fragiles, qui ne sont pas du tout adaptées à nos conditions locales mais encore plus vulnérables aux virus, parasites, pesticides...

Malheureusement, les mâles de ces essaims importés s'hybrident avec l'abeille noire, ce qui provoque la disparition accélérée de son patrimoine génétique unique.

Pour préserver nos abeilles locales, adaptées au climat, aux plantes, aux fleurs des vergers et des potagers, aux parasites et aux prédateurs... POLLINIS s'est associée à des apiculteurs engagés, des chercheurs et des passionnés de l'abeille qui ont décidé d'agir pour protéger ce qu'il reste encore de colonies en France.

Notre association s'est rendue sur l'Île de Groix où un travail extraordinaire est fait par un groupe d'apiculteurs pour préserver l'abeille locale :

Au coeur de cette petite île du Morbihan, dans un environnement préservé des pesticides et des monocultures intensives, un collectif de 30 apiculteurs amateurs pilote avec brio un conservatoire où vivent naturellement 250 colonies d'abeilles noires et d'essaims sauvages.

En quelques années, le travail de ces passionnés de l'abeille a porté ses fruits et les résultats observés sont inédits, au point d'attirer l'attention des chercheurs du monde entier :

Les analyses scientifiques ont montré que le patrimoine génétique de l'abeille noire de l'île de Groix est préservée à 99%, faisant d?elle l?abeille la plus pure de France !

Mieux encore. Ces abeilles qui vivent en toute liberté, sans aucune intervention humaine, parviennent à s'adapter naturellement au varroa. Résultat : ce fléau des apiculteurs, qui décime des colonies entières ailleurs, ne fait pas de ravages sur l'île ! Les abeilles ont elles-mêmes développé leurs propres résistances et, désormais les colonies cohabitent naturellement avec ce parasite !

Autrement dit, l'île de Groix est un petit paradis où l'abeille noire ne meurt pas, où les colonies ne s'effondrent pas !

Un véritable sanctuaire où l'abeille noire si précieuse, peut survivre, se reproduire naturellement dans le respect de son cycle de vie et de sa biologie, et polliniser les plantes et fleurs locales avec lesquelles elle a évolué depuis des millénaires !

Ailleurs en France, une dizaine d'autres conservatoires d'abeilles noires ont été montés. Jour après jour, ces apiculteurs et citoyens passionnés livrent un combat de chaque instant pour sauvegarder ces abeilles locales.

Malheureusement à ce jour, aucun outil juridique ne permet de protéger le périmètre des conservatoires contre l'intrusion d'abeilles importées... Il suffit pourtant de l'installation dans ces zones d'une seule ruche peuplée d'abeilles différentes pendant la période de fécondation pour commencer à hybrider la population d'abeilles locales.

Avec le risque de voir anéanties des années de travail de protection et de préservation...

Il est urgent que les conservatoires soient enfin reconnus officiellement et puissent bénéficier d'une protection juridique solide, comme c'est le cas pour les parcs nationaux, les espaces naturels sensibles, les réserves biologiques ou les aires marines protégées !

C'est pourquoi POLLINIS a besoin de votre aide et de celle du plus grand nombre de citoyens que nous arriverons à mobiliser à travers le pays pour protéger cette butineuse en danger.

Car le combat est encore long...

Les autorités considèrent que l'abeille noire, du fait de son utilisation en apiculture, n'est pas sauvage. Elle ne peut donc pas être protégée comme le sont les papillons par exemple.

Elle n'entre pas non plus dans le cadre des espèces d'élevage protégées - qui sont essentiellement du bétail, comme le cabri créole, le porc de Bayeux ou la vache mirandaise par exemple.

Notre abeille locale est victime d'un vide législatif : elle n'entre dans aucune des cases des espèces considérées comme menacées.

Grâce à une mobilisation conjointe des chercheurs et des apiculteurs de la FEdCAN, la Fédération européenne des Conservatoires de l'abeille noire, avec l'appui indispensable des citoyens mobilisés aux côtés de POLLINIS, nous avons réussi à obtenir l'année dernière une prise de position officielle du Parlement européen en faveur d'une protection des abeilles locales et des conservatoires européens.

C'est un premier pas indispensable, mais on ne peut se contenter de cela :

Les conservatoires de l'abeille noire sont les derniers bastions qui pourraient permettre de sauvegarder ce précieux pollinisateur dans la nature - et non pas dans des éprouvettes et des labos !

C'est pourquoi POLLINIS, membre fondateur de la FEdCAN, poursuit sa campagne à travers toute la France, pour faire connaître le sort tragique de notre abeille locale à un maximum de personnes, et rallier des centaines de milliers de citoyens derrière une action commune pour demander la protection juridique des conservatoires d'abeilles noires.

S'il vous plaît, joignez votre voix à celle des apiculteurs, des chercheurs, des passionnés de l'abeille et des citoyens qui militent déjà pour la sauvegarde de notre abeille locale !

Après avoir signé, transmettez sans attendre ce message au maximum de personnes possible : trop de gens ignorent encore ce drame silencieux qui se déroule dans les ruchers.

Au nom de tous ceux qui oeuvrent au quotidien pour la préservation de notre petite butineuse locale, merci par avance pour votre mobilisation et pour votre aide !

Bien cordialement,

Nicolas Laarman

Délégué général

POUR ACCÉDER À LA PÉTITION, CLIQUEZ ICI

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save-the-bees19 · 5 years

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Colony Collapse Disorder

CCD is when any of these symptoms occur: “(1) the rapid loss of adult worker bees from affected colonies as evidenced by weak or dead colonies with excess brood populations relative to adult bee populations; (2) a noticeable lack of dead worker bees both within and surrounding the affected hives; or (3) the delayed invasion of hive pests (e.g., small hive beetles and wax moths) and kleptoparasitism from neighboring honey bee colonies”

There have bee numerous theories about the cause of CCD with some including:

Invasiveness of the varroa mite (one of the largest pests of honey bees)

New or emerging diseases such as Israeli Acute Paralysis virus and the gut parasite Nosema

Pesticide poisoning through exposure from crops or for in-hive insect or mite control products

Stress due to management practices such as transportation to multiple locations across the country for providing pollination services for commercial beekeepers

Habitat changes due to human “growth”

Inadequate forage/poor nutrition from habitat changes

Potential immune-suppressing stress on bees caused by one or a combination of factors identified above

sources:

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0006481

#theproblem

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beeawaregoldaward-blog · 6 years

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Bee Aware - Essay on Honey Bees

I wrote this essay about honey bees, and what is happening to them, as a part of my Girl Scouts Gold Award. Writing is my original work, with added quotes and information from cited sources.

Olivia Strittmatter

Mr. Holloway

DE English

6 April 2018

Bee Aware

The honey bees are dying. Between April 2016, and April 2017, beekeepers lost an average of 33% of their honey bee colonies (University of Maryland). In the past decades the honey bee population has been declining due to causes such as pesticides, diseases and climate change. Without the honey bees the environment will suffer; every aspect of life will be damaged if the Earth loses its top pollinator. There are many ways that honey bees can be helped, and there are many hazardous chemicals and altering practices, in order to help the bees regain their numbers. Honey bees are one of the most important factors in the environment, and without them the ecology of the Earth would be impacted in such a way that would harm every living thing. Honey bees are vital for all life - they pollinate a vast majority of both wild plants as well as most commercial crops; now they are dying at alarming rates; luckily there are things that everyone can do in order to help save them, such as reducing the use of pesticides, and planting bee-friendly plants.

Honey bees are one of the most important animals in the entire world. They pollinate most of our plants, especially crops that are grown, and eaten, worldwide. Bees pollinate a vast majority of the crops that people eat worldwide; a few of these foods include: apples, avocados, oranges, almonds, broccoli, and carrots. Without the honey bees mankind would lose around 70 of the 100 crops that feed 90% of the world (Sass).

Honey bee colonies are very important to commercial agriculture. Approximately half of the honey bees in the United States are used in California to pollinate the almond crop, which produces over $2.3 billion annually (Fox News). Honey bees and blueberry farmers also have a symbiotic relationship, this means that they both benefit each other. By working together the blueberry farmers get their crops pollinated, and the beekeepers get paid per hive, per week, and the bees can produce blueberry honey. Without commercial beekeepers, agricultural facilities could predict a 50% decrease in their crops produced (Weber).

Bees are shipped into agricultural areas from all over the United States in order to pollinate the crops being grown. The colonies are rented out by mass-producing agricultural facilities, and are moved from farm to farm. One month the hives could be pollinating almonds, and the next month they could be pollinating apple trees. When honey bee colonies are packaged and shipped, they will lose over 10% of the colony in the process. Overall, the transportation of honey bee colonies is harmful to the individual colonies, but it is beneficial to the crops, farms, and the economy. Do the benefits of colony rental for commercial pollination outweigh the negative impact on the hives?

Bees keep the economy buzzing. The crops pollinated by the bees produce over $30 billion in revenue each year (Woody). The honey they produce also earns over $150 million each year (Fox News). Honey bee hives are expensive to own and maintain, but, according to Sokanu, people who professionally pollinate commercial agricultural facilities - earn between $33,840 and $119,530 every year. They also produce honey, but that market is not as big as the pollination market. Keeping honey bees in areas with certain crops, such as blueberries, will produce honey that will have a different flavor than honey produced in an area that grows apples. Every year honey bees produce over 161.8 million pounds of raw honey, which is valued to be over $7 million (Bee Spotter). This is all beneficial to the economy, because it boosts it, allows for more money to be circulating, and for more money to be earned and spent.

Crops that do not need to be pollinated by bees include: corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, bananas, and plantains. Corn, rice, and soybeans are very prominent in many cultures across the world, and if the honey bees go extinct mankind would still have access to those, but they alone would not be able to sustain the world, with the global population soaring to over 7.6 billion people. Bananas and plantains don’t need any pollination, because they grow from bulbs, or rhizomes, so those would also still be important, but again, they alone cannot sustain the world’s population.

“Domesticated” honey bees are not the only crop pollinator though, lots of “native” bees live in and around agricultural areas. Many small-scale farmers rely on these native bees to pollinate their plants. Native bees also fertilise a majority of native plants, as well as neighborhood, and backyard gardens. These native bees are not affected by Colony Collapse Disorder the way that managed honey bee colonies are.

Honey bees also pollinate many wild plants. They fertilize over 90% of native, wild plants (Sass). Without the bees these plants would not be able to reproduce and spread their seeds, and a majority of them would eventually die off. Native plants dying off would negatively impact the environment by reducing the amount of water that can be absorbed into the ground, which can leave to more frequent and severe floods.

Humans benefit from honey bees because, to start, without them there would be no natural honey, no bee pollen, and no beeswax. Also without honey bees humanity would lose the native plants, which 90% of are pollinated by honey bees (Sass). The honey bees pollinate so many of the crops that humans eat, that if the honey bees go extinct it could be expected to lose 70 of the top 100 crops that feed 90% of the world (Sass). Everything that honey bees give to the world, and to people, are a major part of the economy as well, bringing in millions of dollars to all parts of the economy.

The honey bees are dying off at alarmingly fast rates. In the past decade beekeepers have seen over a 30% decrease in their colonies annually (Grossman). The top killers of honey bee colonies are Colony Collapse Disorder, American Foulbrood, European Foulbrood, and pests such as varroa mites. Even relatively smaller problems are still making big impacts, such as inexperienced beekeepers, and bee nucs and packages that are poor in quality.

Pesticides are a major killer of honey bees, especially systemic pesticides. Systemic pesticides are poisons that are coated on seeds, and are intended to kill soil-dwelling insects such as grubs, worms, and mole crickets. These pesticides then grow into the plants, and can be passed up the food chain, and into creatures such as the honeybees. The pesticides are intended to kill pests that will eat and/or harm the crops, but they end up harming animals who are beneficial to the crop and the environment. This is why honey bees are so impacted by it; because the poison is part of the plant by the time it is ready for the bees. Pesticides can also be linked to disorders such as Colony Collapse Disorder, American Foulbrood, and European Foulbrood.

CCD, more commonly known as Colony Collapse Disorder, is a phenomenon where a majority of worker bees disappear and leave behind a queen, food, and a few nurse bees. This usually happens over the winter, and no dead bees are found inside the hive; they’re just gone. Over the last few years though beekeepers have seen a slight decline in the colony deaths due to CCD. Over the past few decades the average hive loss due to CCD was at 28.7%, and recently that percentage has dropped to 23.1%. Causes for CCD can include Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus, Nosema Apis, varroa mites, pesticides, stress, inadequate environment, poor nutrition, and bad management practices.

Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus, also known as IAPV, is a virus that spreads genetically through the 9487 nt RNA. These are defective RNA genomes of the virus that are recombining into hairpins and stem-loop structures. As far as current studies have shown, this virus only affects honey bees.

Nosema Apis is a form of microsporidian, which are small, unicellular parasites. These parasites are two types of fungus, that have only been found to infect honey bees. The two fungus types are Nosema apis (N. apis), and Nosema ceranae (N. ceranae). N. ceranae appears to be more dangerous to honey bees than N. apis, because it attacks the cells in the bees’ guts and kills them faster. Bees that are affected could have trouble digesting food for their entire lives, and they cannot produce royal jelly from their hypopharyngeal glands. Queens who are affected by this parasite do not lay eggs, and will have a much shorter lifespan.

Varroa mites are external parasites that attack both the adult honey bees, and the brood - the honey bee larva. They drink the blood of the adults and the brood, especially drone brood; this will cause a shorter bee lifespan, and newly hatched brood may emerge with deformities, such as missing legs and/or missing wings. Varroa mite infestations can be treated relatively easily if caught early enough. One way to treat them is by applying vaporized oxalic acid once a week for three weeks, this will significantly lower the amount of mites in the hive. Another way for treating small infestations is to dump powdered sugar into the beehive, and allowing the bees to clean the sugar, and mites, off of each other.

American Foulbrood, also known as AFB, is a bacterial disease of the bee brood. This fatal, spore-forming bacteria only infects the honey bee larvae, and typically kills it in the pre-pupal stage. This infection can, and will eventually, kill the entire hive because it kills a majority of the brood, leaving less and less adult honey bees until there are none left. It is not a highly contagious disease but the spores can transfer between hives through beekeeper practices, such as sharing equipment between hives. Adult honey bees will not contract AFB, but they can spread it to other hives through natural processes such as hive robbing. AFB is incurable, and the only way to end the spread is to destroy the colony as well as the hive they were living in, because the spores can remain viable for over 50 years (Bee Aware).

European Foulbrood, or EFB, is a bacterial disease that impacts the bee brood. It can be caused by an increase in stress on the colony, such as changing weather, malnutrition, or movement of the hive. The EFB infection begins when the larvae ingest Melissococcus plutonius, the bacteria; it is ingested from contaminated nurse bees, who were contaminated by removing dead brood. These nurse bees then feed the larvae and spreading the contaminant. The infecting bacteria competes with the larvae for the ingested brood food, and will eventually starve it to death. Symptoms tend to be noticed in Spring, and can be noticed because there are many more foraging bees than nurse bees, and the larvae aren’t being fed as much as they need to be, so they starve to death. The infected larvae will turn into a semi-fluid state, and will change from pearly white, to yellow and brown. EFB is highly contagious and will remain viable for many years in honey, wax, and on beekeeper equipment; it will also be transmitted to other colonies through hive robbing. (Bee Aware and Bee Informed).

Certain pesticides cause more damage to the honey bee population than others. Neonicotinoids are one of the most commonly used pesticides in agricultural facilities, and have been linked to honey bee deaths. In recent studies it has been proven that neonicotinoids do not outright kill the bee colonies, but instead it requires long term exposure to the chemical in order to kill. The chemicals impact the queen bee especially, which can cause a decrease in egg laying, and eventually wipe out the hive (Dengler). Another dangerous pesticide, Imidacloprid, was declared by the EPA to affect bees. The study showed that if the “imidacloprid at levels above 25 parts per billion - a common level for neonics in farm fields - they suffer harm.” (Philpott). Since then the EPA has restricted and limited the use of imidacloprid. A third bee-killing pesticide that could potentially be allowed to be used is thiamethoxam. It recently was considered by the EPA to be sprayed on 165 million acres of US farmland. This pesticide damages a honey bee’s homing abilities and impairs flight. Simone Tosi, Giovanni Burgio, and James C. Nieh performed an experiment in which it was proved that these results “provide the first demonstration that acute or chronic exposure to a neonicotinoid alone can significantly alter bee flight. Such exposure may impair foraging and homing, which are vital to normal colony function and ecosystem services.” (Tosi, Burgio, and Nieh).

Climate change is also a big factor in the decrease in the global honey bee population. As mentioned earlier, climate change can bring stress to bee colonies, which can lead to disorders and diseases, and harm the hives. It has been shown that in Poland, the honey bees are “responding to changes in climate by advancing the date of their first winter flight - the wakening moment after winter... is attributed to increasing temperatures” (Greenpeace Research Laboratories 27). The changes in the climate will impact how the bees interact with the sources they pollinate. According to the Greenpeace Research Laboratories, “Recent analysis has suggested that between 17% and 50% of pollinator species will suffer from food shortages” because of the alteration of time periods where flowering plants are blooming. These scientists have predicted that these alterations may cause the extinction of some pollinating species, such as honey bees, and some flowering plants that they pollinate. They also conclude that climate change “may also lead to “the large-scale extinction of interactions which are responsible for a key ecosystem service, that of the pollination of plants”” (Greenpeace Research Laboratories 27).

Honey bees possess enough genetic variability to potentially survive minor climate changes, it is not know how they will be impacted in the long run. It is shown that their genetic makeup, as well as the information known about how they deal with diseases, and their behavior that they have the possibility of evolving to live in a variety of climates, even as they change over time. The world cannot lose the genetic variety of the honey bee though, and must take precautionary measures to preserve and protect that, or there is a good chance that the bees will die-off because of one disease or one giant ecological change/disaster.

Another reason why the honey bees are dying, and spreading diseases rapidly, is because of unexperienced beekeepers. Inexperienced beekeepers tend to have “double the winter mortality rate when compared to professional beekeepers” (Jacques). Jacques’ study also showed that professional beekeepers had minimal signs of disease and pests, while inexperienced and/or hobbyist beekeepers had heavy signs of varroa infestation, and bacterial infection. A pan-European epidemiological study showed that the best way to combat die-offs from unexperienced beekeeper colonies is to educate the “newbees” and promote disease control (PLOS).

Nucleus colonies, otherwise known as nucs, are small bee hives that come with 4-5 frames of preexisting honeycomb, honey, brood, and a functioning queen with workers and drones. These are prefered to start off with, because they already have a base set up, and can continue building and growing once set up in a real hive. Packaged bees are another option for beginning hives. These bees come in a wooden box with around 3,000-10,000 honey bees - workers and drones - inside, and a queen (The Honey Company). These bees have no basis and must build all of their comb from nothing; this makes it harder for them to start out, and they have a higher chance of failure. With the increase in popularity of hobby beekeeping, honey bee nucs and packages are needing to be produced at a much higher rate than they should be. This causes the nucs and packages to be lower in quality, and risk the rapid spread of disease and parasites all over the country.

Individuals can help save the honey bees though, through numerous, and easy, changes. The biggest change that a person can do, is to educate themselves and others on how much the honey bees do for us, and how much humanity relies on their services. Reading books, research papers, scientific journals, and news articles on honey bees is a great way to expand your knowledge. Education does not just include the general public, education includes educating novice beekeepers, agricultural companies, and the governmental authorities. Public education can range from teachers giving brief presentations on honey bees and what is happening, to larger-scale events such as nationwide movements on the honey bee epidemic. An easy way to educate yourself and the community is by spreading the knowledge that honey bees are not out to sting people. Bees are vegetarians, so they do not chase after people, because they have no interest in people, unless they are protecting their hive. When honey bees sting someone their stinger is pulled out, and it pulls out a majority of their internal organs with it.

Local beekeepers can mentor people interested in beekeeping, so that they can gain the knowledge they need before they buy their own honey bee colony. Educating beginning beekeepers can reduce the amount of colonies that die due to inexperience, and lack of knowledge. For more experienced beekeepers they can look into local classes on how to use sustainable practices with their colonies. Some sustainable practices include: producing numerous other nucleus hives, catching swarming colonies, and reducing use of bee-medications and chemical treatments (Connor).

Quitting use of chemicals and pesticides in personal gardens, and on lawns can be a big step to helping the honey bees regain their footing. Some examples of these harmful pesticides include clothianidin, aldicarb, and carbaryl (Stokstad). Toxic pesticides can be replaced by natural pesticides like vinegar, chrysanthemums, pepper, garlic, onion, and essential oils (Kusby). These replacements are safe for the environment, and are bee-friendly; this means that they will not harm the honey bees, or damage the ecosystem.

A third easy way to help the honey bees is to plant bee-friendly plants in personal, and/or community gardens. Bee-friendly plants are plants that flower for relatively long periods of time, produce a lot of flowers, and produce a large amount of nectar. Some examples of these types of plants include lavender, white clover, california lilac, heather, bell flower, sage, and many more (Bee Friendly). Another way to plant bee-friendly plants is by planting a Bee Garden. Bee Gardens can create many more areas for honey bees to flock to in order to collect nectar and pollen.

Large-scale and small-scale corporations and companies alike can also help to save the honey bees. A big way to reduce the massive die-off is by reducing the amount of CO2 that is being released into the atmosphere. Increased amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere is a major contributor to Global Climate Change, and in turn, is leading to the increase of cases of Colony Collapse Disorder.

Another way that corporations and companies can help save the honey bees is by reducing environmental depletion. Large companies, such as construction companies that build developments, destroy huge amounts of forests and other natural lands in order to expand cities and the suburbs. By destroying these areas, the honey bees are being forced to move into cities and suburbs, and this greatly reduces the food available to the honey bees. Also, cities and neighborhoods that are more densely populated usually means that there are more chemicals in the area, and these chemicals can contribute to Colony Collapse Disorder.

Large companies and corporations can also spread knowledge and information about honey bees. In 2014 Honey Nut Cheerios and Burt’s Bees joined together and started a movement called Bring Back the Bees. In this Honey Nut Cheerios took Buzz, their honey bee mascot, off of the front of their box, and instead replaced it with a white outline in the shape of Buzz with the words “Bring Back the Bees” near him. In boxed labeled like this there was a free packet of bee-friendly seeds for the buyer to plant. In 2014 they claim to have given out 1.5 billion wildflower seeds to consumers (Cheerios). In this movement, Burt’s Bees, a cosmetics company, claims to have planted over 5,000 wildflower seeds for every special edition of lip balm for the Bring Back The Bees annual campaign (Burt’s Bees).

The government can help by passing more legislation banning and restricting the use of harmful pesticides and fertilizers. Certain pesticides and fertilizers are especially toxic to honey bees; examples of harmful pesticides that are commonly used are clothianidin, aldicarb, and carbaryl (Stokstad). A major pesticide that is used by large-scale agricultural corporation are neonicotinoids, and if the United States government could severely restrict use of these, the overwinter deaths of honey bee colonies would reduce within years.

In countries where the government has banned neonicotinoids, such as Germany, the rates of bee diseases are less prevalent than countries that still allow neonicotinoids (Morelle). While there is scientific proof that neonicotinoids are harmful to honey bees, some countries, such as the United States, are approving of the use of these toxic chemicals. The United States government has approved of the use of neonicotinoids on the grounds that “the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had relied on “flawed and limited” data, and its green light was unjustified given the “precariousness of bee populations”” (Pearce). The European Commission has recently done a large-scale experiment on 2,000 hectares across European countries to test the impact of neonicotinoids. The study showed the seeds covered in neonicotinoids had many negative effects on managed honey bees as well as on wild honey bees, and that neonicotinoids could be a major contributor to Colony Collapse Disorder (Morelle).

The United States government could do much more to minimize the nation’s participation in Global Climate Change. The USA is the only country in the world that is not a part of the Paris Agreement, which is a global organization that is working together to battle global climate change. If every single country was working together than it would be easier to work together to find a way to save the Earth, and in turn, to save the honey bees. Climate-related disadvantages for pollinators would include food shortages, and a decrease in overall honey bee populations.

In the past few decade honey bees have been dying off at alarming rates. These massive die-offs are caused by all sorts of factors, some include: Colony Collapse Disorder, American Foulbrood, European Foulbrood, parasites, pesticides, and climate change. People all over the world need to take action to save these hard-working creatures, and in turn, save the world. The honey bees do so much more for humans besides provide honey, and if the honey bees are lost, many agricultural crops will also be severely affected. Without the honey bees over one-third of crops would go unpollinated, and would not be able to produce food. In order to save the honey bees individuals, corporations, and governments alike much work together to protect and preserve this 90-million year old species or risk losing human lives as well.

Bibliography

“#Bring Back the Bees Is Back!” Cheerios, www.cheerios.com/BringBackTheBees.

“10 Crops That Would Disappear without Bees.” Fox News, FOX News Network, www.foxnews.com/food-drink/2012/07/19/10-crops-that-would-disappear-without-bees.htm.

“25 Plants For Bees In Your Garden.” Bee Friendly, beefriendly.ca/25-plants-for-bees-in-your-garden/.

“A Home Gardener's Guide To Safe, Bee-Friendly Pesticides.” Garden Collage Magazine, 19 Sept. 2017, gardencollage.com/wander/gardens-parks/home-gardeners-guide-safe-bee-friendly-pesticides/.

“American Foulbrood.” Bee Aware, beeaware.org.au/archive-pest/american-foulbrood/#ad-image-0.

“Beekeeper.” Sokanu, www.sokanu.com/careers/beekeeper/salary/.

Bees in Decline. Greenpeace Research Laboratories Technical Report , Jan. 2013, sos-bees.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/BeesInDecline.pdf.

“Bees Win as US Court Rules against Neonicotinoid Pesticide.” New Scientist, www.newscientist.com/article/dn28167-bees-win-as-us-court-rules-against-neonicotinoid-pesticide/.

“Colony Collapse Disorder.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 1 Mar. 2018, www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/colony-collapse-disorder.

“Comparing Mite Treatments.” Bee Culture, 22 Aug. 2016, www.beeculture.com/comparing-mite-treatments/.

“Declining Bee Populations Pose a Threat to Global Agriculture.” Yale E360, e360.yale.edu/features/declining_bee_populations_pose_a_threat_to_global_agriculture.

Dengler, Roni. “Neonicotinoid Pesticides Are Slowly Killing Bees.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 29 June 2017, www.pbs.org/newshour/science/neonicotinoid-pesticides-slowly-killing-bees.

“EPA to Consider Approving Spraying of Bee-Killing Pesticide on 165 Million Acres of U.S. Farmland.” Center for Biological Diversity, www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2017/pesticides-12-19-2017.php.

“European Foulbrood (EFB).” Bee Informed Partnership, beeinformed.org/2013/12/13/european-foulbrood-efb/.

“Inexperienced Hobbyist Beekeepers 'Major Driver' of Honey Bee Colony Losses in Europe.” Genetic Literacy Project, 12 Jan. 2018, geneticliteracyproject.org/2017/04/07/inexperienced-hobbyist-beekeepers-major-driver-honey-bee-colony-losses-europe/.

Jacques, Antoine, et al. “A Pan-European Epidemiological Study Reveals Honey Bee Colony Survival Depends on Beekeeper Education and Disease Control.” PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0172591.

Le, Y, and M Navajas. “Climate Change: Impact on Honey Bee Populations and Diseases.” Revue Scientifique Et Technique (International Office of Epizootics)., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Aug. 2008, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18819674.

Maori, E, et al. “Isolation and Characterization of Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus, a Dicistrovirus Affecting Honeybees in Israel: Evidence for Diversity Due to Intra- and Inter-Species Recombination.” The Journal of General Virology., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Dec. 2007, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18024913.

Maori, Eyal, et al. “Isolation and Characterization of Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus, a Dicistrovirus Affecting Honeybees in Israel: Evidence for Diversity Due to Intra- and Inter-Species Recombination.” Journal of General Virology, Microbiology Society, 1 Dec. 2007, jgv.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/vir.0.83284-0.

Morelle, Rebecca. “Large-Scale Study 'Shows Neonic Pesticides Harm Bees'.” BBC News, BBC, 29 June 2017, www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-40382086.

Philpott, Tom. “The EPA Finally Admitted That the World's Most Popular Pesticide Kills Bees-20 Years Too Late.” Mother Jones, 23 June 2017, www.motherjones.com/food/2016/01/epa-finds-major-pesticide-toxic-bees/.

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Sass, Jennifer. “Why We Need Bees: Nature's Tiny Workers Put Food on Our Tables.” Bee Facts, Mar. 2011, www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/bees.pdf.

“Should I Get a 2- or 3-Pound Package?” The Honey Company, thehoneycompany.com/should-i-get-a-2-or-3-pound-package/.

StokstadJun, Erik, et al. “Controversial Pesticides Can Decimate Honey Bees, Large Study Finds.” Science | AAAS, 8 Dec. 2017, www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/06/controversial-pesticides-can-decimate-honey-bees-large-study-finds.

“Sustainability In Beekeeping.” American Bee Journal, 10 Dec. 2015, americanbeejournal.com/sustainability-in-beekeeping/.

“Ten Things You Can Do to Help Bees.” Queen of the Sun What Are the Bees Telling Us RSS, www.queenofthesun.com/get-involved/10-things-you-can-do-to-help-bees/.

“The Economic Importance of Bees.” The Economic Importance of Bee$, BeeSpotter, University of Illinois, beespotter.org/topics/economics/.

“The Importance of Bees: Commercial Beekeeping.” Monsanto, monsanto.com/company/sustainability/biodiversity/articles/importance-bees-commercial-farming/.

Tosi, Simone, et al. “A Common Neonicotinoid Pesticide, Thiamethoxam, Impairs Honey Bee Flight Ability.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 26 Apr. 2017, www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-01361-8.

“Frequently Asked Questions” Burt's Bees., www.burtsbees.com/content/bring-back-the-bees-faq/faqs-bbtb.html.

“US Beekeepers Lost 33 Percent of Bees in 2016-17.” Phys.org - News and Articles on Science and Technology, phys.org/news/2017-05-survey-honeybee-losses-horrible-bad.html.

“Varroa Mites Infesting Honey Bee Colonies.” Varroa Mites Infesting Honey Bee Colonies | Entomology, entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef608.

Woody, Todd. “Scientists Discover What's Killing the Bees and It's Worse than You Thought.” Quartz, Quartz, 3 Mar. 2014, qz.com/107970/scientists-discover-whats-killing-the-bees-and-its-worse-than-you-thought/.

#honeybees #bees #beeaware #goldaward #girl scouts #girlscouts #gold award #honey bees #girl scouts gold award #girlscoutsgoldaward #environment #savethebees #save the bees

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manukahoneyus · 8 years

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Two University of Minnesota and Pennsylvania State University entomologists summarize years of intensive research and outline why Nosema presents such a problem for beekeepers.

#nosema virus

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milkdongcomics · 3 years

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HEY HUMAN, SEE WHAT YOU DO!? ANIMAN - SICK BEE 病患蜂 Instagram: milkdongcomics Facebook: Milk DoNg Comics

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savethebeesdeb · 5 years

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Annotated Bibliography

Andrew, Scottie. “Seven Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Bees on National Honeybee Day.” CNN, Cable News Network, 17 Aug. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/08/17/us/national-honeybee-day-tips-save-bees-trnd/index.html

The author discusses how important bees’ are to humans and gives tips on how we can all help save the bees. Bees’ around the world are dealing with poor nutrition issues. Some tips include plating variety of flowers, letting overgrown roots, and unwanted plants grow out.I used this information to state that we can all contribute and do our part in order to save the bees. Most tips listed are fairly easy and don’t cost anything.

Colla , Sheila R, et al. “Figure 2f from: Irimia R, Gottschling M (2016) Taxonomic Revision of Rochefortia Sw. (Ehretiaceae, Boraginales). Biodiversity Data Journal 4: e7720. Https://Doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.4.e7720.” Biological Conservation, vol. 129, no. 4, 3 Jan. 2006, pp. 461–467., doi:10.3897/bdj.4.e7720.figure2f.

The authors in this journal discuss how pathogens can spread to other bees through contact. The researchers demonstrated an experiment where they tested two sets of bees, one set were wild bees and the other were bees that were kept in a greenhouse. The researchers tested if wild bees that are located near greenhouses would have diseases, and their data concluded that they do. They tested this a different locations and their results were that wild bees do have diseases such as Nosema bombi or crithidia bombi, but data at various locations vary. Researchers did not find a consistent pattern at every location where they tested wild bees and greenhouse bees. Researchers say that these diseases spread through pollinating the same plants, feces or decaying bees.

Cox-Foster, Diana, and Dennis vanEngelsdorp. “Saving the HONEYBEE.” Scientific American, vol. 300, no. 4, Apr. 2009, pp. 40–47. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0409-40.

This article discusses Colony Collapse Disorder and researchers also do an experiment on Isaereli acute paralysis virus. It’s been reported that multiple counties have also noticed empty colonies. There were no dead bees near the empty colony, so it was hard to test those bees. Scientist believe pathogens, pesticides and recently discovered viruses are linked to bees declining, but these are secondary factors. I used this information by showing that viruses are just another contributing factor, but are not the main factor.

Givetash, Linda. “Bees Are Dying at an Alarming Rate. Amsterdam May Have the Answer.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 9 Sept. 2018,

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/bees-are-dying-alarming-rate-amsterdam-may-have-answer-n897856.

This news article states that while scientists around the world are alarmed over the bees declining, wild bees and honey bees in Dutch Capital have increased by 45 percent since 2000. The city has let their sidewalks and weeds overgrow. They have also stopped using pesticides in order to create a bee friendly environment and improve the ecosystem. They believe this is really important since insects are the start of our food chain. Amsterdams government has made a big investment in rebuilding their ecosystem and helping the bees. I used this source in my paper by stating how there are helpful solutions that wouldn't only benefit bees but also the ecosystem. Bees’ are declining and there are ways we can help.

“Natural Resources Conservation Service.” NRCS, May 2015, https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/plantsanimals/pollinate/?cid=stelprdb1263263.

This news article addresses how important bees are because that one out of every bite that we take depends on bee pollination. Bees help bring in $15 billion dollars into the United States. Bees help pollinate over 120 fruits and crops that we eat. Unfortunately, during the last 50 years, bees have been declining . NRCS is working with agricultural production in order to implement conservation practices in order to help pollinating insects. This article talks about how conservation efforts works, how it benefits producers, and also the public.I used the amount of money that is brought into the United States simply with the help of pollinators. Without them, we wouldn't just have very few food selection, but the United States will also suffer in revenue.

Press, The Canadian. “Pesticides Linked to Bee Deaths Will Be Phased out in Canada, CP Sources Say.” CTVNews, CTV News, 14 Aug. 2018, www.ctvnews.ca/politics/pesticides-linked-to-bee-deaths-will-be-phased-out-in-canada-cp-sources-say-1.4052698.

This news article states that the Canadian government is going to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in the beginning of 20201. It has brought to their concern that bees are mysteriously dying and they do not know the primary factor. What they do know is that studies have linked neonicotinoid pesticides and mites. This chemical make bees more susceptible to diseases and bad weather. More than 1,100 peer review studies were reviewed and it was no doubt that neonicotinoid harm bees. The loss of bees represent a significant issue in human food source since bees pollinate one third of our fruits and vegetables. I used this information to help support that this is a contributing factor to bees declining worldwide. This chemical is used by farmers and gardeners, however, certain countries are becoming aware of this toxic issue and are willing to ban this pesticide in order to help save the bees.

Rupp, Rebecca. “Dying Bees Spell Trouble for U.S. Agriculture.” National Geographic, 12 Jan. 2015, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/food/the-plate/2015/01/12/bees/.

The author discusses some background history on honeybees such as, how honey is made, and how bees control our food supply. It states that bees pollinate plants that account for over one third of our intake. Bees pollinate a majority of our fruits and vegetables. Without bees, we would not be able to eat a lot of our favorite dishes or desserts. Data has been recorded from winter 2012-2013 and about 45 percent of bee hives are gone in the United States.One thing we can do for the bees is plant more flowers.I used this article to help support how important this issue is and how long this problem has been going on for.

Zimmer, Carl. “2 Studies Point to Common Pesticide as a Culprit in Declining Bee Colonies.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 Mar. 2012, https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/science/neocotinoid-pesticides-play-a-role-in-bees-decline-2-studies-find.html?searchResultPosition=1.

This article addresses how two experiments performed by two different scientists have led them to suspect that pesticides are contributing to bees declining, but their results are a little ambiguous and conflicting. Two researchers published studies suggesting that low levels of pesticides can have an effect on bee colonies. One researcher indicates that the toxic chemical fog honey bees brains, making them harder to get back home. The second scientist suggest that they keep bees from supplying their hives with enough food to produce new queens. Both scientists agreed that it raised alarms of the use of pesticides, known as neonicotinoids. They state that they would prefer for this chemical to not be used until more studies are done. However, pesticides are just one of the several factors that scientists have linked to bees declining.

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