Latest news with #bees
CBC
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
N.B beekeepers suffered above-average honey bee losses this year
Nathan Mutch stood in disbelief when he opened his honey bee hives this spring. The commercial beekeeper said it was heartbreaking to discover he had lost about three million bees and all but one of 60 hives. "It was incredibly depressing because we love our bees, just like they're our pets," Mutch said. Mutch is the co-owner of Halcomb Honey & Hives, near Miramichi. He and his wife, Kristen, sell honey and products made of beeswax, and they also rent their bees to blueberry producers for pollination. WATCH | Mites, climate change hurting bee population: This beekeeper started last winter with 60 hives. Only one survived 5 minutes ago Nathan Mutch said they would normally expect to lose anywhere from five to 25 per cent of their bees in a year. "This was the worst year by far," he said. "Pretty much everyone seemed to have really high losses." Chris Lockhart, president of the New Brunswick Beekeepers Association, said this year's high bee loss was an issue across the province. "I know of beekeepers that lost well over 50 per cent." Bee population on declining trend Kaushal Rathnayake, a pollination biologist at the University of New Brunswick, says declining bee populations are a "widespread problem." According to Rathnayake, many types of bees have been in record decline in recent years because of climate change. "The bees die suddenly without any reason because they cannot withstand our long winters, or the high temperatures or the fluctuation in temperature," Rathnayake said. Pascale Michaud, co-owner of AgroGene Solutions. detects infections in hives and honey bees. "There's not one reason why all the bees are dying," Michaud said. This season, she said, a lot of bees died because of viruses brought into hives by varroa mites, a parasite that attacks honey bees. But infections are hard to predict. "Because of climate change, we're seeing new things appear," she said. If nothing is done to slow the spread of viruses, Michaud said, they will only get worse. "I just think there needs to be more tools, more treatments." Honey bees and the N.B. blueberry industry Michaud said above-average bee losses have a wide impact. "We're still missing thousands and thousands of hives to be able to pollinate everything," she said. 'So, you know, if we keep losing 30 to 50 per cent of our hives each year, it's a big stressor on the beekeepers, of course, but really on everyone because it's directly tied to food security. Mutch said the blueberry industry is important in New Brunswick, "and without the bees, the blueberry industry wouldn't really survive." According to Bleuets NB Blueberries, an agency representing the province's largest blueberry producers, in 2021 the wild blueberry industry contributed $81 million to the provincial GDP. The New Brunswick Wild Blueberry Pollination Strategy aims to increase the number of bee colonies available for pollination by 60 per cent by 2029. But Lockhart said that because of this year's losses, beekeepers across the province sent out less than 30 or 40 per cent of what they would normally send to pollinate crops. The provincial honey bee expansion program can provide beekeepers with a maximum $20,000 a year to grow their operations. Mutch said the funding helps, but it won't be enough to meet provincial targets. Insurance programs fall short This year's bee deaths also have a significant financial impact on beekeepers. Mutch estimates he is out $50,000 between lost revenue for bee pollination rentals and the cost of replacing 99 per cent of his bees. AgriStability is a national insurance program designed to support Canadian producers facing large income losses. But Mutch hasn't applied. "You pretty much got to be a huge operation for it to really be worthwhile for you." Lockhart, who owns a 1,000-hive operation called Atlantic Gold Honey, applied to AgriStability, but not without hurdles. He decided to apply after losing about 30 per cent of his bees, costing him $100,000. "The downside about AgriStability is it takes about 18 months to get back the revenue that they're going to support you with," he said. "You could be bankrupt already." Lockhart said only a handful of beekeepers apply to the program. The program can be complicated to understand, so Lockhart had his accountant apply for it, which is another expense. Agriculture and Agri Food Canada said in a written statement that they have made changes to AgriStability to make it more accessible. The changes include increasing the coverage rate from 70 to 80 per cent, making parts of the application similar to the process of filing taxes, providing participants with their coverage notices early in the year and digital improvements making it easier for participants to communicate with staff and track their application. "The service standard for AgriStability is to process 75 per cent of applications within 75 days of receipt," the statement said. The New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries said in a statement that it was exploring honey bee insurance. In other provinces, bee mortality insurance covers 100 per cent of unexpected losses. "It would have helped a lot of beekeepers this year," Mutch said. "I'm hoping it comes in." Mutch said he now has 45 hives and so far, the new bees are looking healthy. "When you have everything invested into it, it's scary where it could go." If he loses a significant proportion of honey bees again, he might just give up beekeeping.
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Science
- Al Jazeera
Photos: Bees at risk as temperatures rise, Trump to cut research funds
Sweat covers Isaac Barnes's face under his beekeeper's veil as he hauls boxes of honeycomb from his hives to his truck. It is a workout in what feels like a sauna as the late-morning temperatures rise. Though Barnes was hot, his bees were even hotter. Their body temperatures can be up to 15 degrees Celsius (27 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the air around them. As global temperatures rise, scientists are trying to better understand the effects on managed and wild bees as they pollinate crops, gather nectar, make honey, and reproduce. They noticed flying bees gathering nectar avoided overheating on the hottest days by using fewer but harder wingbeats to keep their body temperature below dangerous levels, according to a study published last year. Scientists also say that bees, like people, may cope by retreating to a cooler environment such as the shade or their nest. 'Just like we go into the shade, sweat, or we might work less hard, bees actually do the exact same thing so they can avoid the heat,' said Jon Harrison, an environmental physiologist at Arizona State University and one of the study's authors. Generally, most bees are heat-tolerant, but as the climate warms, some experts think their ability to fend off disease and gather food might become more difficult. Habitat loss, increased use of pesticides, diseases, and lack of forage for both managed and wild bees are all listed as potential contributors to the global decline of bees and other pollinators. Isaac Barnes places a full honeycomb onto the back of his truck. [Joshua A Bickel/AP Photo] Earlier this year, preliminary results from the annual US Beekeeping Survey found that beekeepers lost almost 56 percent of their managed colonies, the highest loss since the survey started in 2010. Almost all of the managed honeybee colonies in the United States are used to pollinate crops such as almonds, apples, cherries, and blueberries. Fewer pollinators can lead to less pollination and potentially lower yields. Back at Isaac Barnes's hives in Ohio, thousands of honeybees fly around as he gathers boxes to take back to his farm for honey production. Nearby, a couple of his bees land on milkweed flowers, a rare bit of plant diversity in an area dominated by maize and soya bean fields. For Barnes, who operates Honeyrun Farm with his wife, Jayne, one of the challenges heat can pose to his 500 honeybee hives is fending off parasitic mites that threaten the bees. If temperatures get too hot, he cannot apply formic acid, an organic chemical that kills the mites. If it is applied when it is too hot, the bees could die. Last year, they lost nearly a third of the 400 hives they sent to California to help pollinate commercial almond groves. Barnes thinks those hives may have been in poor health before pollination because they were unable to ward off mites when it was hot months earlier. It is only in the last decade that people have become aware of the magnitude of the pollinator decline globally, said Harrison, of Arizona State University. Data is limited on how much climate change and heat stress are contributing to pollinator decline. Bees are not able to do what they normally do, said Kevin McCluney, a biology professor at Bowling Green State University. [Joshua A Bickel/AP Photo] The Trump administration's proposed budget would eliminate the research programme that funds the US Geological Survey Bee Lab, which supports the inventory, monitoring and natural history of the nation's wild bees. Other grants for bee research are also in jeopardy. US Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon said his country's pollinators are in 'grave danger', and he will fight for the federal funding. Pollinators contribute to the health of the planet, the crops we grow and the food we eat, he said. 'Rather than taking bold action to protect them, the Trump administration has proposed a reckless budget that would zero out funding for critical research aimed at saving important pollinators,' he said in a statement to The Associated Press news agency. Harrison said his research on this topic would come to a halt if cuts are made to his federal funding, and it would generally be more difficult for scientists to study the disappearance of bees and other pollinators and improve how they prevent these losses. Not being able to manage these pollinator deaths could cause the price of fruits, vegetables, nuts, coffee and chocolate to rise or become scarce. 'Hopefully, even if such research is defunded in the US, such research will continue in Europe and China, preventing these extreme scenarios,' said Harrison.
Malay Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
French government faces a buzzkill: One million petitioners say ‘no' to bee killer pesticide
PARIS, July 22 — More than a million people Sunday had signed a petition urging the French government to ditch a law allowing the reintroduction of a banned pesticide experts say is deadly to bees. The so-called 'Duplomb law' has stirred public anger for permitting a return of acetamiprid — a chemical known to be toxic to pollinators such as bees and to ecosystems. It was adopted on July 8 but has not yet come into effect. A 23-year-old master's student launched the petition against the law on July 10, with support quickly snowballing with the backing of many including actors and several left-wing lawmakers. More than 500,000 people signed it in 24 hours from Saturday and Sunday alone. The law's proponents however argue farmers face too much regulation in France as is, and allowing them to use acetamiprid again would help reduce the constraints they face. National Assembly Speaker Yael Braun-Pivet on Sunday ruled out abandoning the legislation, named after the conservative lawmaker who proposed it, as it would 'save a certain number of our farmers'. The petition's author, Eleonore Pattery, who describes herself as 'a future environmental health professional', called the new law a 'scientific, ethical, environmental and public health aberration'. 'It represents a frontal attack on public health, biodiversity, the coherence of climate policies, food security, and common sense,' she said. 'Bee killer' Acetamiprid has been banned in France since 2018, but remains legal within the European Union. The insecticide is particularly sought after by beet and hazelnut growers, who say they have no alternative against pests and face unfair competition. On the other hand, beekeepers have branded the chemical 'a bee killer'. French scientists who have studied its disorientating effects on bees confirm it is toxic to them. Its effects on humans are also a source of concern but, in the absence of large-scale studies, its risks remain unclear. The petition calls for the 'immediate repeal' of the law and a 'citizen-led consultation involving health, agricultural, environmental and legal stakeholders'. Launched on July 10, two days after the Senate adopted the text, it had already passed 500,000 signatures on Saturday. Appeal to Macron Petitions do not in themselves trigger a review or repeal of the legislation but unprecedented public support may prompt renewed parliamentary discussion on the matter. Under French rules, if a petition reaches 500,000 verified signatures, the National Assembly may choose to hold a public debate limited to the content of the petition itself. Speaker Braun-Pivet told the broadcaster franceinfo on Sunday she would be in favour of such a debate, but lawmakers 'could not in any case go back on the law which has been voted through'. President Emmanuel Macron does have the power to send the text back for deputies to re-examine it, and on Sunday Green party leader Marine Tondelier appealed to him to do just that in a video posted online. In late June, ahead of the law's passage, several thousand demonstrators—including farmers, environmental organisations and scientists — rallied across France calling for the bill to be withdrawn. — AFP
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Researchers fear for bees' future on warmer Earth
Sweat covers Isaac Barnes's face under his beekeeper's veil as he hauls boxes of honeycomb from his hives to his truck. It's a workout in what feels like a sauna as the late-morning June temperatures rise. Though Barnes was hot, his bees were even hotter. Their body temperatures can be up to 27 degrees Fahrenheit (about 15 Celsius) higher than the air around them. As global temperatures rise under climate change, scientists are trying to better understand the effects on managed and wild bees as they pollinate crops, gather nectar, make honey and reproduce. They noticed flying bees gathering nectar avoided overheating on the hottest days by using fewer but harder wingbeats to keep their body temperature below dangerous levels, according to a study published last year. Scientists also say that bees — like people — may also cope by retreating to a cooler environment such as the shade or their nest. 'Just like we go into the shade, or we sweat or we might work less hard, bees actually do the exact same thing so they can avoid the heat,' said Jon Harrison, an environmental physiologist at Arizona State University and one of the study's authors. But that means the bees aren't able to do what they normally do, said Kevin McCluney, a biology professor at Bowling Green State University. 'They're not going out and getting more nectar. They're not mating. They're not doing the things that bees would otherwise do,' McCluney said. Heat is just one challenge for critical pollinator Generally, most bees are heat-tolerant, but as the climate warms, some experts think their ability to fend off disease and gather food might become harder. And habitat loss, increased use of pesticides, diseases and lack of forage for both managed and wild bees are all listed as potential contributors to the global decline of bees and other pollinators. 'If you're not well-fed, and your body is intoxicated with pesticides and you have lots of diseases in your body, you're going to be less heat-tolerant than if you were healthy,' said Margarita López-Uribe, a pollinator health expert at Pennsylvania State University. Earlier this year, preliminary results from the annual U.S. Beekeeping Survey found that beekeepers lost almost 56% of their managed colonies, the highest loss since the survey started in 2010. Almost all of the managed honeybee colonies in the U.S. are used to pollinate agricultural crops such as almonds, apples, cherries and blueberries. Fewer pollinators can lead to less pollination and potentially lower yields. 'It's a very fragile system if you think about it,' López-Uribe said. 'Because if something goes wrong, you have these super high-value crops that won't get enough bees for pollination.' Losing hives at Honeyrun Farms Back at Barnes' hives in Ohio, thousands of honeybees fly around as he gathers boxes to take back to his farm for honey production. Nearby, a couple of his bees land on milkweed flowers, a rare bit of plant diversity in an area dominated by corn and soybean fields. For Barnes, who operates Honeyrun Farm with his wife, Jayne, one of the challenges heat can pose to his 500 honeybee hives is fending off parasitic mites that threaten the bees. If temperatures get too hot, he can't apply formic acid, an organic chemical that kills the mites. If it's applied when it's too hot, the bees could die. Last year they lost almost a third of the 400 hives they sent to California to help pollinate commercial almond groves. Barnes thinks those hives may have been in poor health ahead of pollination because they were unable to ward off mites when it was hot months earlier. 'Dead hives aren't pollinating the almonds,' he said. 'It's a real ripple effect that stems back from the heat in the summertime.' Sometimes the heat helps. Here in Ohio, Barnes' hives last summer produced a bumper crop of honey as they feasted on nearby soybean nectar as the plants bloomed in the heat. Still, the lack of diverse plants for bees to forage in an area dominated by corn and soybean fields isn't ideal. And even the native blooms are appearing erratically, Barnes said. In autumn, his bees search for food on goldenrod, but those blooms are appearing later. And even then, he has supplemented his hive with additional food to keep them healthy into the winter. 'Every single plant that blooms is something that the bee can use,' Barnes said. 'And every single plant is affected by climate change.' Research that may aid bees is in peril It's only in the last decade that people have become aware of the magnitude of the pollinator decline globally, said Harrison, of Arizona State University. Data is limited on how much climate change and heat stress is contributing to pollinator decline. 'It's a relatively new focus for biology,' he said. 'I think it's super important, but it's not being studied a ton.' The Trump administration's proposed budget would eliminate the research program that funds the USGS Bee Lab, which supports the inventory, monitoring and natural history of the nation's wild bees. Other grants for bee research are also in jeopardy. U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon said America's pollinators are in 'grave danger,' and he'll fight for the federal funding. Pollinators contribute to the health of the planet, the crops we grow and the food we eat, he said. 'Rather than taking bold action to protect them, the Trump administration has proposed a reckless budget that would zero out funding for critical research aimed at saving important pollinators,' he said in a statement to The Associated Press. Harrison said his research on this topic would come to a halt if cuts are made to his federal funding, and it would be more difficult in general for scientists to study the disappearance of bees and other pollinators and improve how they prevent these losses. Not being able to manage these pollinator deaths could cause the price of fruits, vegetables, nuts, coffee and chocolate to jump or become scarce. 'Hopefully, even if such research is defunded in the U.S., such research will continue in Europe and China, preventing these extreme scenarios,' said Harrison. The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
French petition against return of bee-killing pesticide passes 1mn
More than a million people Sunday had signed a petition urging the French government to ditch a law allowing the reintroduction of a banned pesticide experts say is deadly to bees. The so-called "Duplomb law" has stirred public anger for permitting a return of acetamiprid -- a chemical known to be toxic to pollinators such as bees and to ecosystems. It was adopted on July 8 but has not yet come into effect. A 23-year-old master's student launched the petition against the law on July 10, with support quickly snowballing with the backing of many including actors and several left-wing lawmakers. More than 500,000 people signed it in 24 hours from Saturday and Sunday alone. The law's proponents however argue farmers face too much regulation in France as is, and allowing them to use acetamiprid again would help reduce the constraints they face. National Assembly Speaker Yael Braun-Pivet on Sunday ruled out abandoning the legislation, named after the conservative lawmaker who proposed it, as it would "save a certain number of our farmers". The petition's author, Eleonore Pattery, who describes herself as "a future environmental health professional", called the new law a "scientific, ethical, environmental and public health aberration". "It represents a frontal attack on public health, biodiversity, the coherence of climate policies, food security, and common sense," she said. - 'Bee killer' - Acetamiprid has been banned in France since 2018, but remains legal within the European Union. The insecticide is particularly sought after by beet and hazelnut growers, who say they have no alternative against pests and face unfair competition. On the other hand, beekeepers have branded the chemical "a bee killer". French scientists who have studied its disorientating effects on bees confirm it is toxic to them. Its effects on humans are also a source of concern but, in the absence of large-scale studies, its risks remain unclear. The petition calls for the "immediate repeal" of the law and a "citizen-led consultation involving health, agricultural, environmental and legal stakeholders". Launched on July 10, two days after the Senate adopted the text, it had already passed 500,000 signatures on Saturday. - Appeal to Macron - Petitions do not in themselves trigger a review or repeal of the legislation but unprecedented public support may prompt renewed parliamentary discussion on the matter. Under French rules, if a petition reaches 500,000 verified signatures, the National Assembly may choose to hold a public debate limited to the content of the petition itself. Speaker Braun-Pivet told the broadcaster franceinfo on Sunday she would be in favour of such a debate, but lawmakers "could not in any case go back on the law which has been voted through". President Emmanuel Macron does have the power to send the text back for deputies to re-examine it, and on Sunday Green party leader Marine Tondelier appealed to him to do just that in a video posted online. In late June, ahead of the law's passage, several thousand demonstrators -- including farmers, environmental organisations and scientists -- rallied across France calling for the bill to be withdrawn. are/jj/gv
