BELTSVILLE, MARYLAND (USDA/ARS) —Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have taken the first step towards a weapon against the major honey bee parasite Nosema ceranae. There is currently no treatment for this parasite. The scientists found that feeding honey bees a small amount of an interfering RNA compound (RNAi) could disrupt the reproduction of N. cerana by as much as 90 percent in the …
Agri View: Pollination Problems for Citrus
Everett Griner talks about citrus and pollination problems continue in today’s Agri View. I told you yesterday about citrus greening being found young groves in Georgia and Alabama. Sure it is disappointing. How many times have I reported on CCD in the honey bee industry? And, the fight goes on with no solution in sight for either …
Bee’s Are Buzzing Back from Colony Collapse
New data from the Department of Agriculture shows U.S. honey bee numbers increased in the last year. USDA released its honey bee health survey this week, which found the number of commercial U.S. honey bee colonies rose three percent to 2.89 million as of April 1st, 2017 compared with a year earlier. The number of hives lost to Colony Collapse …