Category: Uncategorized
Beepocalypse
https://www.wired.com/2014/05/will-we-still-have-fruit-if-bees-die-off/ Article courtesy of Wired.com A PHOTO HAS been circulating for a while that suggests our grocery stores will look like this in a world without bees. Is that true? Will our food choices be radically limited, come the future Beepocalypse? We already know what raising fruit without honey bees looks…
Non-bee insects are important contributors to global crop pollination
https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/113/1/146.full.pdf Romina Rader, et al, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America Many of the world’s crops are pollinated by insects, and bees are often assumed to be the most important pollinators. To our knowledge, our study is the first quantitative evaluation of the…
For the First Time, Bees Declared Endangered in the U.S.
Seven species of Hawaiian yellow-faced bee, decimated by invasive species and habitat loss, are now federally protected. By Christine Dell'Amore PUBLISHED OCTOBER 1, 2016 As the legend goes, when star-crossed lovers Naupaka and Kaui knew they'd be forever separated, Naupaka took the flower from behind her ear and tore it…
Nearly two decades of data reinforce concerns that pesticides are really bad for bees
New research has provided some of the strongest evidence yet that pesticides can do serious, long-term damage to bee populations. And the findings may help fuel the ongoing debate about whether certain insecticides should be permitted for agricultural use at all. The new study, published Tuesday in the journal Nature…
Tribes Working to Protect Butterflies
Tribal leaders in Oklahoma have vowed to plant nectar-producing plants for the butterflies whose numbers have dwindled. Seven Native American tribes in Oklahoma will provide habitat and food on their lands for monarch butterflies, whose numbers have plummeted in recent years due to troubles along their lengthy migration route. Tribal…
Helping pollinators, one city flowerpot at a time
By DEAN FOSDICK, Associated Press Even a little effort — a potted plant, say, on an apartment balcony — can mean a lot when trying to help restore declining pollinator populations like bees, bats, and butterflies. “Every contribution is worthwhile,” said Victoria Wojcik, research director for the Pollinator Partnership in Toronto,…