Bees Shed Light on Human Sweet Perception and Metabolic Disorders

TEMPE, Ariz. – Scientists at Arizona State University have discovered that honey bees may teach us about basic connections between taste perception and metabolic disorders in humans. By experimenting with honey bee genetics, researchers have identified connections between sugar sensitivity, diabetic physiology and carbohydrate metabolism. Bees and humans may partially share these connections. In a study published in the open-access journal …

Chinese Honey Importer Sentenced to 2 Years for Evading Import Duties

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement News Release CHICAGO – A former Chinese business agent for several honey-import companies was sentenced June 22, 2012 to two years in federal prison for illegally importing falsely labeled honey to avoid paying nearly $1.5 million in U.S. anti-dumping duties. This sentence resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security …

Researchers Search for Viruses to Save Honey Bees

viruses to help treat one of the most destructive and widespread bee brood diseases in the United States. They report their findings today at the 2012 General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. "Our food supply depends on the actions of millions of insects such as the common honeybee. Due to the importance of honeybees a pollinators in the agriculture …

Canada to Re-evaluate Neonicotinoid Insecticides

The purpose of this document is to notify registrants, pesticide regulatory officials and the Canadian public of Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency’s (PMRA) decision to initiate a re-evaluation, under section 16 of the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA), of the nitro-guanidine neonicotinoid insecticides, clothianidin and thiamethoxam, and their associated products registered in Canada. Currently, another nitro-guanidine neonicotinoid insecticide,imidacloprid, is …

Mite Helps a Bee-Killing Virus Spread

June 4, 2012  ABJ Extra – The spread of a parasitic mite across Hawaiian honeybee colonies has enabled a virus to thrive within colonies of these valuable insects, researchers report. In other parts of the world, the appearance of both the mite and the virus has coincided with major colony deaths, though this has only occurred on Hawaii where the …

Survey by USDA and Collaborators Reports Fewer Winter Honey Bee Losses

By Kim Kaplan May 31, 2012 WASHINGTON—Total losses of managed honey bee colonies from all causes were 21.9 percent nationwide for the 2011/2012 winter, according to the annual survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Bee Informed Partnership and the Apiary Inspectors of America. This represents a substantial drop in mortality compared to the previous five years, when winter losses …

Blowing in the Wind: How Hidden Flower Features are Crucial for Bees

May 29, 2012  ABJ Extra - As gardeners get busy filling tubs and borders with colorful bedding plants, scientists at the Universities of Cambridge and Bristol have discovered more about what makes flowers attractive to bees rather than humans. Published today in the British Ecological Society's journal Functional Ecology, their research reveals that Velcro-like cells on plant petals play a crucial …