"If you like almonds, then 2013 brought some bad news. Each year, honeybees from across the country make the trek to California, which grows 80 percent of the world’s almonds, to pollinate the almond crop. But bees have been dying in unusually large numbers for several years now, and this year appears worse than most.The problems we face if we don’t have healthy populations of pollinators, particularly honeybees, extend beyond almonds. Three fourths of the top crops grown in the world require animals – mostly insects – for pollination. Odds are that most of your favorite fruits, nuts and melons are pollinated by honeybees.

Across the pond, the European Union has made major strides in shedding light on the role of certain pesticides in honeybee deaths. In fact, the European Commission has proposed a two-year ban on these pesticides. Meanwhile, at home, beekeepers remain frustrated that the U.S. government is not as forward-thinking. And, for another year, the saga of bee deaths continues.

The pesticides in question are called neonicotinoids. It’s a mouthful, but the root word is 'nicotine,' because they are chemically similar to the addicting tobacco compound. The most common of these is a pesticide called imidacloprid. Two others are clothianidin and thiamethoxam...


"When first introduced, neonicotinoids were thought to be relatively 'environmentally friendly' pesticides. Often they can be applied without spraying, by either treating seeds prior to planting or drenching the soil. The pesticides are taken up by and spread throughout the plants. Every part of the plant – including the pollen and nectar – contain pesticide residues. In theory, these chemicals will only poison 'bad bugs' that eat the plants.

A new report published by the European Union’s European Environment Agency chronicles a similar story as it unfolded in France. Back in the 1990s, French beekeepers noticed their bees dying in unprecedented numbers and they connected it to a then-new pesticide used in sunflowers, imidacloprid.

Nailing down the science on how much imidacloprid it takes to kill a bee and how much imidacloprid bees are exposed to was not easy. First, the amounts of imidacloprid in pollen and nectar fell below Bayer’s detection limit of 10 ppb. A decade later, France’s Scientific and Technical Committee for the Multifactor Study of the Honeybee Colonies Decline (CST) validated findings that the pesticide showed up in the pollen of treated sunflowers and maize at the rates of 3.3 ppb and 3.5 ppb, respectively, and in the nectar of treated sunflowers at 1.9 ppb...


"Although there’s little private citizens can do, beyond submitting comments to the EPA about these pesticides, contacting your representatives, and perhaps even getting your own beehive, you might be surprised to find out that these toxic pesticides are widely available for home use. Bayer sells imidacloprid in products sold for use on roses, flowers, shrubs, trees (even fruit and nut trees!), and lawns. Even the flea treatment Advantage sold for your pet contains it!

If you use a landscaping service or hire an arborist, they might have access to even more potent forms of these pesticides. Be sure you know what they are using – and remember that the bees are consuming any nectar or pollen produced by your plants, even if you think of those plants as non-edible."


Without honeybees, we may cease to be
By Jill Richardson

"AT THIS time of year Gordon Wardell loves to stand amid the almond blossoms in California's San Joaquin valley, listening to the “low-pitch, warm, happy hum” of millions of bees. But the bees are not as happy as they sound, which is why Mr Wardell, who has a PhD in entomology and is a de facto bee doctor, is here.

More than 80% of the world's almonds are grown in California and, to pollinate them, the 7,000 or so growers hire about 1.4m of America's 2.3m commercial hives. Thousands of trucks deliver the hives in February—from Maine, Florida, the Carolinas and elsewhere—and will soon pick them up again. The bees' job is to flit from one blossom to the next, gorging themselves and in the process spreading the trees' sexual dust.

Since 2006, however, bees have been suffering from 'colony collapse disorder' (CCD), a mysterious affliction that has drastically reduced their numbers. As a result, says Joe MacIlvaine, the president of Paramount Farming and the largest almond-grower in the world, the rental cost of a hive has tripled in the past five years to about $150. Bee rental now accounts for 15% of Paramount's costs.

So Paramount has hired Mr Wardell, who has been studying bees for 30 years and CCD since it broke out. Its cause may be mobile-telephony radiation, viruses, fungi, mites and pesticides—or none of the above. In the absence of a clear explanation, Mr Wardell is concentrating on something different: nutrition.

A healthy worker bee spends about four weeks in its hive, feeding on protein-rich pollen and nursing larvae, and then another two weeks in the field eating sugary honey until its proteins are depleted and it dies. For some reason bees are getting too little protein in the hive, thus dying after only about four weeks, almost as soon as they venture outside. So Mr Wardell is force-feeding them protein. He owns a patent for MegaBee, which he says 'looks like cookie dough'. He puts a bit of this into the hives, blocking the bees' entrance so that they have to chomp their way through it. As part of his new job, Mr Wardell is working with beekeepers across the country to supplement bee diets everywhere."


Almond pollination in California
Vitamin Bee A new attempt to save the most vital workers in the orchards
from: www.economist.com

"Honey bees are more effective at pollinating almonds when other species of bees are present, says an international research team in ground-breaking research just published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The research, which took place in California's almond orchards in Yolo, Colusa and Stanislaus counties, could prove invaluable in increasing the pollination effectiveness of honey bees, as demand for their pollination service grows."


Honey bees are more effective at pollinating almonds when other species of bees are present
from: phys.org

"Angry bees swarmed two people in Indio, Calif. this morning, sending them to the hospital with almost 200 stings in all.

Dr. Wesley Burks, who chairs the University of North Carolina’s pediatrics department and has a 30-year career that involves working with skin allergies, said an attack like that is rare. If fact, he’s never seen one firsthand.

'Generally, you see somebody stung once or maybe five to ten times, but not 80 or 100,' Burks said. 'I’ve talked to people that have seen them…but it’s less than a handful.'

Burks said a large number of stings like this can often lead to anaphylactic shock — even if the patient is not allergic to bee stings.

Each sting releases proteins into the victim’s body, causing swelling and eventually resulting in a histamine reaction — as if the body were reacting to an allergy. Sometimes, that swelling can even affect the victim’s ability to breath, Burks said.

Burks said bee stings generally affect people the same way, regardless of age, but conditions like hypertension and diabetes can make it harder to respond and recover."

Bee Attack Sends Two Californians to the Hospital
By Sydney Lupkin

"What would a garden – or farm – be without bees? A lot less fruitful. Honeybees account for about 80 percent of all insect pollination. Understanding bees and their needs makes it easier to help them help us.
"Favorite plants for bees include: aster, seaside daisy, lavender, California lilac, coneflowers, poppies, yarrow, cosmos, oregano, thyme, rosemary, roses, buckwheat, sage, penstemon, snapdragons, morning glories, sunflowers, tower of jewels and golden rod.
"Bees need pollen sources most of the year. If planting a bee-friendly garden, choose plants that bloom a long time. Mix several different kinds of plants to extend the bloom season from early spring until winter. Group similar plants together (ideally, in clusters 4 feet across); that makes it easier for the bees to find them."

To bee or not to bee – there's no question
– Debbie Arrington

And the winner is...

"Sixteen dogs were playing outside after breakfast Wednesday when workers spotted what looked like a giant plume of smoke in the distance. As it approached, they realized it was a swarm of bees, which officials now believe to be of the Africanized variety.

The swarm swooped down on the exercise yard and began stinging dogs and employees, said Melissa Houlihan, owner of the Balcom Canyon Pet Lodge in Somis.

'They scrambled to bring the dogs inside, but the bees came down so quickly,' she said. 'It was horrific.'

A dozen dogs were stung. Three -- two whippets and a Cairn terrier -- are hospitalized in critical condition. The whippets were stung more than 250 times and appeared unrecognizable, Houlihan said."


16 dogs attacked by Africanized honey bees; three critical
-- Esmeralda Bermudez, LA Times

"Selenium in very low concentrations is necessary for the normal development of insects -- and humans -- but becomes toxic at only slightly higher concentrations when it replaces sulfur in amino acids.
Wondering what effect selenium concentrations in plants has on honey bees, John T. Trumble, a professor of entomology, and Kristen R. Hladun, his graduate student, performed controlled greenhouse experiments in which they documented the selenium amounts that three plant species -- two kinds of mustards and one weedy radish plant -- incorporate into their nectar and pollen after the plants had been irrigated with low to moderate levels of the trace mineral.
'Field studies need to be conducted to determine if honey bees collect enough selenium from contaminated plants to cause significant effects on learning, behavior and adult or larval survival.'"

Selenium impacts honey bee behavior and survival
University of California - Riverside