Each month our Bee Informed Blog highlights current news, science, and research related to solitary bee conservation, food insecurity, and sustainability.
1. Support Saving America's Pollinators Act!
During Pollinator Week 2021 in June, U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) reintroduced Saving America’s Pollinators Act (SAPA) to reverse ongoing declines in wild and managed pollinators. The bill suspends the use of neonicotinoid (neonic) insecticides and other pesticides harmful to bees and other pollinators until an independent board of experts determines that they are safe to use, based on a strong scientific assessment.
Click here to tell your congressional reps to cosponsor Saving America's Pollinators Act!
2. New treatment could make honey bees immune to pesticides
New technology could make some bee species immune to many pesticides, which currently cause beekeepers to lose about a third of their hives annually. This discovery has stirred widespread excitement, but critics say the invention could have unintended negative consequences, especially for wild bees. Click here to read more about this potential new treatment!
3. Video: Good intentions aren't enough - Attempts to protect wild bees have gone awry, and an influx of imported honeybees is doing more harm than good to native populations.
Ron Miksha, a bee ecologist and former commercial beekeeper, is doing research at the University of Calgary about competition between native bees and honeybees. He’s found that too many honeybees can have a negative effect on native bees.
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