UMass Amherst research shows less-frequent mowing may help suburban bees
AMHERST, Mass. - Homeowners concerned about the decline of bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects need look no further than their own back yards, says ecologist Susannah Lerman at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the USDA Forest Service. In new research, she and colleagues suggest that homeowners can help support …
Lack of information on the effects of all pesticide ingredients makes them appear safer than they are — potentially causing serious harm to people and the environment.
New regulations are needed to protect people and the environment from toxic pesticide ingredients that are not currently subject to safety assessments. This is the conclusion of the first comprehensive review of gaps in …
The magnified photographs of the pinhead-sized mite, aptly named Varroa destructor, were captured by Dr. Jonathan Salvage of the University of Brighton (UK), using a state-of-the-art scanning electron microscope (SEM).
Dr. Salvage, a Research Fellow in the University’s School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, has been working with Adam Leitch, a Master Beekeeper, on both a study of plant pollen that …
Previous studies may have been underestimating the number of bee species needed for adequate pollination by at least one order of magnitude, a new large-scale effort finds. The results help to disentangle the influences of species dominance and species turnover (the replacement of one species for another across space or time) on ecosystem functioning. Many studies to date have explored …
Honey bees out-compete local pollinators, which play vital specialist role in plant pollination
New research indicates that introduced 'alien' honey bees are competing for resources with native bees and threatening the survival of plants that rely on interactions with specific pollinators.
The study, published in the journal Diversity and Distributions, was led by Dr. Olivia Norfolk of Anglia Ruskin University, who carried …
Daniel Hellerstein, Claudia Hitaj, David Smith, and Amélie Davis
A report summary from the Economic Research Service United States Department of Agriculture
What is the issue?
Crops that depend on pollinators account for up to one-third of total U.S. food consumption. However, honey bees and other pollinators face a variety of stressors, including diseases, insect pests, pesticide exposure, and changing landscapes. …
University of Missouri-Columbia
According to recent studies, declines in wild and managed bee populations threaten the pollination of flowers in more than 85 percent of flowering plants and 75 percent of agricultural crops worldwide. Widespread and effective monitoring of bee populations could lead to better management; however, tracking bees is tricky and costly. Now, a research team led by the University …
