Scott McArt: A discussion of recent news stories about pesticides and bee health
This week on the podcast I am joined by Scott McArt, assistant professor of pollinator health in the department of entomology at Cornell University. He and I discuss three recent news stories about pesticides and bee health. We break down the stories and get Scott's expert thoughts, opinions and insights on the issues.
Scott also gives us his Top Three List of the most important things that the public and policy makers should keep in mind about bees and pesticides.
The Bee Report Podcast is available on all major podcasting platforms such as Apple and Spotify.
Has the coronavirus affected your research plans this year?
To all of my bee scientist friends out there, I have a question for you: Has the novel coronavirus or any of the societal responses to the virus affected the research you have planned for this year?
I’d love to get a better read on this. I have a two-question survey on the Bee Report website that I’d love to have you fill out. It will take about 60 seconds of your time. You can do it anonymously. And I will report the results here in the newsletter and on the podcast. Thanks!
Do you have tips, comments, questions or ideas for collaboration? Please send them to tbr@bymattkelly.com.
Conservation
Invest in pollinator monitoring for long-term gain
(The Niche, pg. 10) Despite urgent need, monitoring insect pollinators, especially wild bees and hover flies, has often been considered too expensive to implement at a national scale. A research team is studying how to improve pollinator monitoring in the UK in a cost-effective manner. This research examines hidden benefits of monitoring schemes. By pooling data and expertise from a wide range of resources, the costs of schemes have been estimated to be between £5,600 ($6,900) for a small volunteer-led scheme collecting basic data and £2.8 million ($3.5 million) per year for professional monitoring of both pollinating insects and pollination to the UK’s crops. Overall, for every £1 ($1.24) invested in pollinator monitoring schemes, at least £1.50 ($1.86) can be saved from costly, independent research projects.
Economics
Ecosystem services are not constrained by borders
(Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ) Many countries benefit from ecosystem services provided outside their nations. This can happen through economic relationships, biological and geographical conditions, but we hardly know how and where these ecosystem service flows occur. German researchers have published a new study showing how interregional ecosystem service flows can be identified and quantified.
Kangaroo Island beekeepers feed surviving bees, distribute bushfire funds
(The Islander) The Kangaroo Island Beekeepers Group wants to track down all honey producers operating on the Island so that bushfire funds can be fairly distributed. "As a collective we need to decide how we can use this money to benefit the KI beekeeping community. However, we do not have a complete contact list for the Island's beekeepers."
Policy/Law
New Mexico unveils 'pollinator protection' license plate
(Santa Fe New Mexican) The state transportation department said proceeds from the new plates will help fund planting projects along state roads. The pollinator project also will create educational gardens and reduce mowing and spraying of herbicides along roadways as a way to improve habitat for bees and other pollinators. The plate features the artwork of a sixth-grade student from the Albuquerque Sign Language Academy.
Science
Rolled cardboard makes a handy insect-sampling tool
(Entomology Today) Collecting information on insects and other small arthropods is time-consuming and expensive. The methods used to collect arthropods living in the microhabitats of trees can be especially challenging – and destructive. But a group of Israeli researchers have developed a simple and seemingly effective arthropod trap: rolled-up tubes of corrugated cardboard tied to trees with string. They captured numerous types of insects including cockroaches, spiders, wasps and bees.
How animals understand numbers influences their chance of survival
(EurekAlert/Cell Press) From birds to bees and wolves to frogs, animals use numbers to hunt, find a mate, return to their home, and more. Honey bees, for example, can remember the number of landmarks they pass when searching for food in order to find their way back to the hive. "The last common ancestor between honey bees and us primates lived about 600 million years ago. But still, they evolved numerical competence that, in many respects, is comparable to vertebrae numerical competence."
Technology
Nectar is Montreal’s bee-saving startup effort
(The Bull & Bear) Run by a combination of beekeepers, engineers and computer programmers, Nectar was founded in 2016. The technology that Nectar has developed is designed to deliver real-time, accurate data about the bees, the hive itself, and outside conditions as well. Their solutions consist of the Beecon, the BeeHub, and the BeeTag.
One More Thing…
Bees + Microscope = #mindblown. Check out Zach Portman’s images on Twitter @zachportman.
Bee foot from the side.
Bee hair with pollen.