Oh the honey bees!

 

What’s behind the widespread loss of honey bee colonies? A new study has some answers. 

I do love my honey. And I'm so grateful that I can purchase raw wildflower honey here, which helps my allergies to various pollens.

We probably all know that "Honey bees are vital pollinators for more than 100 species of crops in the United States." 

Treehugger published on 2/6/23 an article dated 1/31/23 by Melissa Bryer. In it there's a lot of detail of a new study that has also been published recently.

"...after a comprehensive analysis of data from the last five years, the Penn State study offers insight into what is killing the bees. Using novel statistical methods, the study is the first to concurrently look at a mix of honey bee stressors at a national scale. 

 Lead author of the Penn State study, Luca Insolia said:

"For this study, we integrated many large datasets at different spatial and temporal resolutions and used new, sophisticated statistical methods to assess several potential stressors associated with colony collapse across the U.S.”

The findings show that “honey bee colony loss in the U.S. over the last five years is primarily related to the presence of parasitic mites, extreme weather events, nearby pesticides, as well as challenges with overwintering,” writes Gail McCormick in a press statement for the study. 

..."They found that more than one stressor affected honey bee colony loss across the country, including the presence of pesticides—no surprise, given that the goal of pesticides is to kill insects—frequent extreme weather events, and weather instability. Additionally, not surprising given previous evidence and research, bees were also impacted by the presence of the Harry Potteresque parasitic mites, Varroa destructor. At just 1.1 millimeters long, Varoa is one of the most troublesome pests of the honey bee and is causing concern to beekeepers throughout the world. 

..."A beekeeper himself, Insolia adds, “These results also inform actions that beekeepers could take to help circumvent these stressors and protect their colonies, including treatments for the Varroa mite‚ especially in areas of weather instability. Beekeepers could also consider strategies to move their colonies to areas with high food availability or away from nearby pesticides or to provide supplementary food during certain seasons or months with frequent extreme weather events.”

The study was published online in the journal Scientific Reports.

My source was Treehugger Newsletter, 2/6/23/

Today's quote:

Gratitude is most powerful as a response to the Earth because
it provides an opening to reciprocity, to the act of giving back,
to living in a way that the Earth will be grateful for us.
ROBIN WALL KIMMERER