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Articles on Bees

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If advice isn’t acted upon, is it good advice? kevincollins123

Bees, pesticides and … what are chief scientists for?

Without good advice, governments are in extreme danger of creating erroneous or damaging public policy. So it’s a serious matter when a government science adviser is accused of ignoring scientific evidence…
Honeybees aren’t the only species pollinating plants in Australia; we have little idea how pesticides are affecting native pollinators. Howard Rawson

Neonicotinoid ban eases the stress on bees

News that the European Union (EU) has restricted the use of neonicotinoid insecticides was welcomed by scientists, farmers, beekeepers and politicians around the world. But the limitations of the restriction…
Many Australian crops rely on pollination by bees: we should think about following the EU’s lead on banning pesticides that affect them. djfrantic/Flickr

The buzz on bee pesticides: Australia should consider a ban

The European Union has just banned three pesticides thought to affect the learning behaviour of bees. The two-year ban, which takes effect in December, is in response to a dramatic drop in bee numbers…

Pollination a fine-balancing act

Honey bees are thought to be the primary pollinators, but wild insects may be better. Two new studies, one published in Science…

Caffeine gives bees the buzz too

Honeybees may have an advantage over other pollinators – caffeine improves performance. The findings, from Newcastle University…

Pollinators and plants losing touch

The pollination networks between bees and flowers are not as robust as they were 100 years ago. Based on a comparative study…
Around the world, there are more than 20,000 bee species: this is Australia’s blue banded bee. Louise Docker

Modern agriculture is stressing honeybees: let’s go native

Honeybees are in trouble - a stressful lifestyle and an unhealthy diet are being compounded by mite attacks - but we needn’t panic about pollination. Australia has many native bee (and other pollinator…

Honey bees exile mite-infested larvae

Adult honey bees can identify bee larvae that are infected by the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, by detecting specific…
By attaching a small transponder to bees, researchers were able to track movements and feeding patterns. Andrew Martin

Fast food: how bees navigate to nectar, without the bumbling

How do insects, given their poor visual resolution and small brains, cope with the huge challenge of finding food at more than one location and returning home immediately afterwards, day after day? Mathieu…
Honeybees are important pollinators, but not the only ones. BugMan50

Honeybee decline warrants concern, but not panic

In many countries there has been concern about a decline in honeybees. You may have even heard that honeybees face dangers so dire that their imminent decline threatens world food production, with potential…

Bees shake abdomens to say ‘I see you’

Asian honey bees attempt to ward off would-be predators by vibrating their abdomens from side to side, researchers at the…

Making a bee-line for energy savings

Bumblebees use complex problem-solving skills to minimise the energy they use when flying to collect food. For the bumblebee…

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