Agricultural Research Service (ARS) entomologist Steven Cook will be leading a $1 million funded international consortium of scientists to seek new controls for Varroa mites, honey bees’ number one problem. Cook, with the Bee Research Laboratory, a part of ARS’s Beltsville (Maryland) Agricultural Research Center, will be the principal investigator of a group that will include scientists from the United States, Canada and Spain. ARS is …
Flowers Help to Save the Bee Population
We all want to do our part in helping to save our pollinators. Cathy Isom has a bit of information on the four flowers we can plant to help save the bee population. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Help to Save the Bee Population We need bees and they need us. One way to help them out, …
Insects Beneficial for Your Garden or Farm
Cathy Isom tells you about a few of the bugs and pests that you do want hanging around your garden or farm. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. When it comes to our gardens or farms, its normal to want to protect our plants from predatory pests. But not all insects are bad. So it’s important to …
Agri View: Farmers and Bees
Everett Griner talks about farmers needing bees to pollinate the crops in today’s Agri View. A group of European scientists has concluded that Colony Collapse Disorder is a result of certain farm chemicals. Now nobody would argue with that. But, it is not the only cause. But suppose it is. Here is the dilemma. Farmers need bees …
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 …
Post Offices ‘Abuzz’ Over Protect Pollinators Forever Stamps
The U.S. Postal Service will pay tribute tomorrow (August 3rd) to the beauty and importance of pollinators with stamps depicting two of our continent’s most iconic, the monarch butterfly and the western honeybee, each shown industriously pollinating a variety of plants native to North America. The Protect Pollinators Forever stamps will be dedicated at noon tomorrow at the American Philatelic Society National Summer …
Hummingbirds Need Our Help
Cathy Isom tells us why Hummingbirds need our help. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Hummingbirds are colorful, bright and beautiful creatures that come in tiny packages. Their wings can flap at 80 times per second, which is why you can hear a humming and buzzing sound when they are darting in and out of …
Bats Shouldn’t Be Kept as Pets
If you believe you need to keep bats as pets, think again. Cathy Isom looks at why some people think they’re cute while others may think they’re creepy. Why you shouldn’t consider keeping a bat for a pet. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Rob Mias with the Organization for Bat Conservation would like to introduce Camilla, the 22-year-old …
Growers and Beekeepers Meet with EPA
This week has been National Pollinator Week, as designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of the Interior. And stakeholders in the cotton industry, along with beekeepers and researchers from several state universities, met with representatives from the EPA and USDA to start the conversation on how to develop and adopt more appropriate steps for assessing …
Feed a Bee Announces Coast-to-Coast Recipients for $500,000 Pollinator Forage Initiative
Bayer Feed a Bee program celebrates National Pollinator Week by kicking off initiative to support forage projects in all 50 states In the spirit of true National Pollinator Week celebration, Bayer today announced the first round of organizations that will receive funding to establish forage for pollinators across the nation. Nearly 100 projects were submitted in response to the request …