Sunday 27 May 2012
Bees and Beekeeping
It would cost the UK £1.8 billion every year to hand-pollinate crops without bees – 20% more than previously thought – according to new research launched today. The new figure – equivalent to the annual wages of 60,000 teachers – comes from research conducted by leading bee experts at the University of Reading on behalf of the environment charit...
A scientist at the University of Reading has called for immediate action to save pollinating insects crucial to British wildlife and the economy. Simon Potts, Professor of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services at the University’s School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, said ’strong conservation action’ was needed now to r...
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled last week that pollen from genetically modified (GM) plants contained in honey counts as a food ingredient and requires authorisation. Initial reactions from politicians and associations welcome the ruling unanimously because it creates legal certainty at last. Opinions vary, however, regarding the possible...
A new strategy for protecting Britain’s trees and forests from pests and diseases was launched today. This is an interim strategy, pending an integrated cross-government approach to biosecurity following the current EU review of its plant health regime. It is a response to the increasing threat to trees and woods from pests and diseases ar...
Bees risk being exposed to a range of diseases that can be transferred by varroa mites. Scientists from Aarhus University are investigating the interaction between mite infection, virus infection and disease outbreak in bees. In an existence in which the days are passed by producing honey, one would suppose that bees live the sweet life. Howev...
A major campaign highlighting the crisis facing key British pollinators will be launched in London today. The abundance of bumblebees, hoverflies, butterflies and moths is on a dramatic downward slide. These animals are the main pollinators of UK crops and wildflowers, and more than 250 key pollinator species are currently threatened with extinc...
A steep increase in honey bee colony losses has been reported around the globe in recent years. In the United States (US), a phenomenon called ’colony collapse disorder’—first discovered in 2006—has caused inexplicable losses. The rate of bee colonies not surviving the winter ranged between 30 percent and 35 percent on average for the y...
Researchers have developed a genetic technique which could revitalise the fight against the honeybee’s worst enemy - the Varroa mite. The method enables researchers to "switch off" genes in the Varroa mite, a parasite that targets the honeybee. The scientists say this could eventually be used to force the mites to "self-d...
Phacelia planted at Great Chishill, one of the development farms run by Bayer CropScience, has been so successful in attracting beneficial insects that its area is to double next year. A single hectare of phacelia, sown in April, has both enhanced biodiversity at the farm and dealt effectively with a problem weed seed bank. "As a cover crop, ...
The European Commission has approved the national programmes for all 27 EU member states to improve the production and marketing of apiculture products for 2011-2013. The EU contribution to the financing of the programmes has increased by almost 25% compared to the previous funding period (2008-10), from 26 million euro (21.2 million GBP) to 32...
Nine projects worth a total of up to £10M from the Insect Pollinators Initiative are announced today (22 June 2010), during National Insect Week. These projects will explore the causes and consequences of threats to insect pollinators and ask questions about the decline of honeybees and other pollinating insects over recent years. The aim i...
Field trials have proven that the process of pollination in top fruit can be enhanced through the use of a novel pheromone-based product, Pollinus which when sprayed onto the target crop attracts honey bees and bumble bees. Steve Allan, Technical Manager for Agri-Nova Technology, reports that trials in pears in two varieties Comice and Conferenc...
BCPC has joined with others in the crop protection industry, in writing to the Secretary of State The Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP to oppose the ban on neonicotinicide seed treatments. In September 2009, the environmental organisation Buglife issued a report calling for a ban on the outdoor use of a number of seed treatments but the industry believes the ...
Bees for Development Trust is pleased to announce Sting as a Patron of the Trust. Musician, actor and activist, Sting is a long time supporter of human rights organisations such as Amnesty International and Live Aid and, along with wife Trudie Styler, founded the Rainforest Foundation in 1989 to protect both the world’s rainforests and the...
New Holland, one of the UK’s leading agricultural manufacturers, has announced that it has joined the fight to find solutions to the problems which are threatening and killing dramatically high numbers of Britain’s honeybees. New Holland has formed a partnership with the British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA) which has led the...
Scientists at Rothamsted Research and Warwick University have been awarded £1M by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) in partnership with Syngenta, to research the decline of honeybees. UK government figures suggest bee numbers have fallen by 10-15% over the last 2 years; the British Beekeepers’ Association (...
The NFU has today called for an independent and comprehensive assessment of the impact of neonicotinoids after Buglife issued a report implicating these insecticides in the decline of our honey bees. The report, backed by the Soil Association and the Pesticide Action Network UK, reappraises a selection of existing evidence and recommends a preca...
"Simply, a great networking opportunity to meet the key decision makers in the crop protection arena for the exchange of ideas globally," is how long standing exhibitor, Nicola Mitchell, Managing Director, of Ireland based Life Scientific Ltd, regards the BCPC Congress and Exhibition. As the largest and most comprehensive crop producti...
Britain’s honeybees are disappearing at an "alarming" rate, yet the government is taking "little interest" in the problem, a group of MPs has said. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) says bees, vital for pollinating crops, are worth £200m a year to the economy. It wants Defra to spend more money on research into be...
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