News — Honey Bees

Each month our Bee Informed Blog highlights current news, science, and research related to solitary bee conservation, food insecurity, and sustainability. 1. Common pesticide, Imidacloprid, found to be highly toxic to bees New research funded by the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program and conducted at the University of Georgia shows that Imidacloprid, a common pesticide applied directly to the soil, has lethal and non-lethal effects on bee populations. This study represents the first attempt to explore soil-based exposure in wild solitary bees. The majority of wild bees either nest in the soil or use it as a material to build their...

Imagine a scenario in which a terrible avian virus sweeps through North America, decimating the poultry industry. Ranchers lose tens of thousands of chickens, and many leading poultry operations go out of business. Chicken and egg prices skyrocket, causing many restaurants and bakeries to close down. Even in this scenario, however, I would not expect to see “save the birds” bumper stickers, articles in leading magazines discussing “a world without birds”, or environmental preservation agencies campaigning for bird conservation on account of this event. This is because we understand that a chicken crisis, albeit a consequential one for many industries...