News about bees and beekeeping from around the world
Number of news: 760 and counting
Haagen-Dazs has sweetened the pot of money available for research at the University of California, Davis.
McCormick & Co.’s latest acquisition was a pretty sweet deal. The Sparks-based spice and seasoning company purchased the shares of Billy Bee Honey Products last week for $75 million in cash.
Last spring, U.S. beekeepers realized that one-third of their hives had collapsed. Honeybees were simply flying away to die. This strange phenomenon, now called Colony Collapse Disorder, threatens more than the honey industry. Fifteen billion dollars worth of U.S. crops such as almonds and apples simply will not grow if honeybees don’t pollinate them.
Czech bee colonies have been stung by a warmer-than-usual winter. The balmy temperatures in the Czech Republic over the last couple of months have provided an ideal breeding ground for a parasite which has been wreaking havoc on the country’s bee population. Experts predict that up to half of the Czech Republic’s bees could have been wiped out.
For thousands of years, honey has been used to treat wounds. But while there’s some empirical evidence that honey contains antibacterial qualities that improve healing, it might not be a good idea to smear it on open cuts.
The Manezh’s Central Exhibition Center will host the 19th All-Russia Honey Fair from Feb. 12 to 27.
Amidst the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu virus outbreak in West Bengal districts, the state government may strive again to contain the mysterious ailment that has killed millions of honeybees across the state, especially in Nadia and South 24-Parganas for the last few days.
No, researchers haven’t found a beehive-based cure (though major royal jelly, the wondrous protein concoction that turns lowly workers into queens, may have anti-cancer properties.) But bee colonies experience their own type of cancer, and maybe human researchers can learn from their victories.
A malady that has killed billions of bees since 2006, threatening about $15 billion in pollinated crops, is devastating hives again, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s top honeybee researcher.
Jackson County beekeepers concerned about diseased bees are working with county officials on an ordinance that could require bee-yard registrations.