Several hundred bees in rural Pennsylvania and rural New York are sporting tiny QR codes on their backs, the first step in solving a long-standing mystery of how far bees travel from their hives to collect pollen and nectar. 

Despite its importance, the transitional period for colonies from late winter to early spring when resources are scarce and brood rearing demands high energy, is often overlooked in studies. Here, we propose that colonies are most vulnerable during this transitional period and emphasize the need for closer examination of the complex relationship between resource availability and colony status to better understand colony mortality that occur in this period.

Bees consumed the most and developed the largest hypopharyngeal glands on diets with 30% protein and 20% lipid. When given dietary options, they regulated intake toward this 1.5:1 protein-lipid ratio. Feeding typically stopped once either a protein or lipid threshold was reached, consistent with a “strict restraint” rule that may reflect physiological costs of even slight overconsumption

A new study found transmission of viruses between different bee species did not lead to the formation of new virus variants, a rare bit of good news for bee pollinators, which have been in decline for over 25 years.

The data obtained from drones produced in healthy colonies tend to be comparable to drones of formic acid treated colonies whereas, mite-infested colonies performed poorly. Our findings provide valuable insight that mature drones aged 15 to 20 days have higher eversion per cent, semen volume and sperm count and thus, are physiologically best suited for attaining excellent breeding outcomes. Formic acid treatment for mite control proved as vital and safe method for producing high- quality disease free drones in honey bee colonies.

This summer, a solar field in Alberta will not only be generating about 40 megawatts of electricity each sunny day but also producing eggs, honey, meat and wool.

From tiny roundabout gardens filled with native plants to a three-year pollinator meadow research project, municipalities across the country are showing that even small changes to public spaces can improve pollinator diversity and help mitigate the effects of climate change.

A scientific investigation into the high losses experienced by US beekeepers this year revealed that the root cause was a lethal combination of virus infections transmitted by the parasitic mite Varroa destructor, exacerbated by widespread resistance in these mites to the miticide amitraz.