Every year, more than 1.7 million honey bee colonies are brought to California’s Central Valley to pollinate the vast expanses of almond orchards. Many bees arrive in the fall when little is in bloom to escape their native cold temperatures in anticipation of the world’s largest pollination event. Prior to and after the almond orchard’s bloom in late winter and … Read More
USDA: Honey Bee Diseases Not Just in Spring
New research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that diseases in honey bees aren’t just limited to the spring. This article from USDA says information from Ryan Schwarz and Jay Evans, entomologists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Maryland, shows that two pathogens causing mysterious honey bee ailments might pose a threat year-round. Schwarz and Evans, based … Read More
Nominate a Bee Leader for Bayer Award
Bayer CropScience is seeking nominations for its third annual Bee Care Community Leadership Award. The award recognizes beekeepers and others who use their commitment and interest in honey bees for the benefit of their communities. “Honey bees play an important role in supporting our food supply, pollinating as much as a quarter of all plants consumed in the U.S. and … Read More
Bayer to Fund 2015 FFA Grants for Bee Health
Bayer CropScience is partnering with the National FFA to inspire interest in agriculture and apiculture professions among America’s youth. The new grant program will help FFA members develop their unique talents and explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers with a focus on finding solutions that will help honey bees thrive. “I have a real passion for the FFA … Read More
Comments Needed on EPA Neonic Report
Farmers and other stakeholders have only a few days left to comment on the EPA report about the “Benefits of Neonicotinoid Seed Treatments to Soybean Production” which finds little or no overall benefits. The comment period concludes on December 22. Dr. Becky Langer, Bayer CropScience Bee Care Program manager, says the EPA document came out of the presidential memorandum this … Read More
Research on Value of Neonicotinoids
The agriculture industry is working to show the benefits of neonicotinoids in the face of an EPA report released in October concluding that the seed treatments “provide little or no overall benefits to soybean production in most situations.” During the ASTA CSS and Seed Expo last week, Dr. Pete Nowak with AgInfomatics discussed some of his findings on the value … Read More
NCGA Calls for Pollinator Health Dialogue
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is calling on agriculture industry stakeholders to facilitate partnership and dialogue for improving pollinator health. “Although corn does not rely on bees or other pollinators, we recognize their importance to agriculture,” said Don Glenn, chairman of NCGA’s Production and Stewardship Action Team, who spoke at the recent Pollinator Health Task Force’s public listening session. … Read More
USDA to Provide $4 million For Honey Bee Habitat
USDA is providing more than $4 million in technical and financial assistance to help farmers and ranchers in the Midwest improve the health of honey bees, which play an important role in crop production. “The future of America’s food supply depends on honey bees, and this effort is one way USDA is helping improve the health of honey bee populations,” … Read More
Almond Board Announces Bee Management Practices
As part of an ongoing commitment to honey bee health, the Almond Board of California released a comprehensive, set of Honey Bee Best Management Practices (BMPs) for California’s almond industry. Developed with a wide array of input from sources including the almond community, beekeepers, researchers, California and U.S. regulators, and chemical registrants, the BMPs represent the Board’s most extensive educational … Read More
Catching up with Bayer Queen Bee
It was great to catch up with Dr. Becky Langer, manager and queen bee of the Bayer CropScience North American Bee Care Center in North Carolina that just opened April 15. She says the center has proven to be a popular spot for school children to visit. “They’re so willing to learn, so surprised at how close up they can … Read More