Cape Town – Pollination biologist from Stellenbosch University Dr Corneile Minnaar is breaking new ground in a field of research that has been hampered by a lack of a universal method to track pollen for more than a century. Despite more than 200 years of detailed...
A new study that allowed humans to spy on bumblebees inside their nests showed that pesticides can impair social behaviour, making it hard for bees to eat and rear their young, researchers said on Thursday. Previous research has shown that the common class of...
Cape Town - Although the Western Cape’s deciduous fruit industry is currently meeting the pollination requirements needed, the sector is expected to grow as demand for pollination services is set to double over the next decade. To mitigate this, the Department of...
Numerous threats to the environment, including climate change, disease and habitat destruction, have placed the global bee species under threat, making them especially vulnerable to extinction. That was the warning sounded in a research paper by Dr Annalie Melin,...
Deep in the jungles of Indonesia, the world's largest bee nl. 'Flying Bulldog' was rediscovered. The bee (full name Megachile pluto) is a giant insect about the size of a human thumb and lives in the Indonesia island region of the North Moluccas. It makes its nest in...
ONE Honey bees are super-important pollinators for flowers, fruits and vegetables. This means that they help other plants grow! Bees transfer pollen between the male and female parts, allowing plants to grow seeds and fruit. TWO Honey bees live in hives (or...
Varroa destructor These are external parasitic mites that feed of the haemolymph (blood) of developing and adult bees. Examples of the damage caused by these mites are morphological deformation, reduced lifespan, weakening of the immune system and transmission of...
Honeybee health can be dramatically affected by viral diseases that are linked to Varroa mites. Varroa mites are known to favour the outbreak of viral diseases. Viruses may be present in hives without any clinical symptoms that only becomes visible after stressors...
Chalkbrood This is a disease affecting sealed brood and is caused by the fungi Ascosphaera apis. The presence of chalkbrood is influenced by climatic factors, which influence the temperature and humidity in the hive, especially when it is cooler and wet. This fungus...
This brood disease is caused by the non-spore forming bacterium Melissococcus pluton. It affects open brood and is common during spring when brood rearing is at its height. Colonies may be severely weakened. EFB is considered a less serious disease than AFB but...
Infection is caused by the spore-forming bacterium Paenibacillus larvae. This disease can result in severe colony losses. It affects only the brood, is highly contagious and extremely difficult to eradicate. The bacterial spores can remain viable for up to 60 years...
It cannot be denied that the honey bee is the greatest pollinating machine when it comes to agriculture. Their large perennial colonies can be moved to wherever they are needed and they can communicate direction and distance from the hive to nectar sources. Honey bees...