Why insects are more sensitive than they seem. Only two out of 11 herbicide studies 'reliable'. Natural products may be buzzworthy solutions for honey bee health.
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Conservation
Factors influencing seed mix design for prairie restoration
(Twitter, Rufus Isaacs @msuberrybugs) “Habitat for pollinators has become one of the key goals or justifications for grassland habitat restoration. New from Barak et al. based on survey, focus groups, and interviews with Midwestern land managers.” From the original paper: “While pollinator habitat was rated as very important on the Likert scale response… it was selected as the most important objective much less frequently…”
It’s time to stop demonizing ‘invasive’ species
(Vox) Countless species around the world – from white-tailed deer to lobsters to armadillos to maple trees – are moving with the climate. Ecologists expect climate change to create mass alterations in the habitats of these “range-shifting” or “climate-tracking” species, as they’re sometimes called, which will reshuffle ecosystems in ways that are hard to predict. The migrations are critical to species’ ability to survive hotter temperatures. The scientific community largely views this kind of habitat shift as a good thing, Wallingford and other ecologists told Vox. But the primary lens available to the general public and to policymakers is less forgiving. “Invasive species” is a concept so ingrained in American consciousness that it’s taken on a life of its own, coloring the way we judge the health of ecosystems and neatly dividing life on Earth into native and invasive.
To conserve more species, act while their numbers are high
(Scientific American) “In reality, preventing extinction is only the beginning of conservation. The point of conservation is to protect the ecosystems that support life on Earth, and the only way to do that is to protect species in abundance, in perpetuity and in their own habitats.”
Economics
Natural products may be buzzworthy solutions for honey bee health
(USDA ARS) U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers from the Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, and collaborators found some natural products’ medicinal properties reduced virus levels and improved gut health in honey bees. Among the study’s recently published results, researchers found a significant reduction in virus levels in bees fed raw cacao and hesperidin, a plant chemical commonly found in citrus fruits and other fruits and vegetables.
Do you know what is in that cheap jar of honey?
(The Guardian) British beekeepers are calling for a requirement on supermarkets and other retailers to label cheap honey imports from China and other nations with the country of origin after claims that part of the global supply is bulked out with sugar syrup.
Policy/Law
Only two out of 11 herbicide studies given to EU regulators deemed ‘reliable’
(The Guardian) In a recently released report, researchers from the Institute of Cancer Research at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria said their review of a set of safety studies submitted to EU regulators by Bayer AG and a coalition of other chemical companies showed that the vast majority do not meet current international standards for scientific validity.
Law students work to protect dwindling bumble bees
(Treehugger) Once the most commonly spotted bee in the United States, the American bumblebee has nearly disappeared from 16 states. But thanks to some law students and their professor, the important pollinator may earn protection under the Endangered Species Act. “The students in my environmental law class were given the opportunity to choose their final project. They researched the science, identified the American Bumblebee as a candidate for protection, and assembled the petition.”
Science
Why insects are more sensitive than they seem
(BBC) For decades, the idea that insects have feelings was considered a heretical joke – but as the evidence piles up, scientists are rapidly reconsidering. “Let’s say you’re a bee that ends up in a spider web, and a spider is swiftly coming towards your across the web. It’s not impossible that the escape responses are all triggered without any kind of emotions. But on the other hand, I find it hard to believe that this would happen without some form of fear.”
Gut bacteria enhances memory in bees
(Earth.com) An international team of researchers have recently discovered that a specific type of gut bacteria is linked to enhanced memory in bumble bees. This study adds to the growing scientific evidence that the gut microbiome, consisting of trillions of microbes living in our intestines, can affect animal cognition and behavior.
Insecticide-contaminated honeydew: risks for beneficial insects
(Twitter, Miguelopodo el artropodo @MiguelCalvo_) “Just published in Biological Reviews, different pathways through which #honeydew can be contaminated with systemic insecticides becoming toxic to #beneficialinsects that feed on it.” Original paper
Nectar concentrating behavior by bees
(Twitter, Zach Portman @zachportman) “Excited to announce a new paper... In it, we show that nectar concentrating behavior is much more widespread in bees than most people think.” Original paper
Quantifying the use of nest building materials by the world's most valuable solitary bee
(Twitter, Ecology @ESAEcology) “A new study... finds that leafcutter #bees can be picky about the materials they use for their nests – and that one species has a predilection for petals” Original paper
The exceptional attachment ability of the ectoparasitic bee louse
(Twitter, Thies H. Büscher @h_buscher) “Bee lice are tiny parasites that exploit bees as their vehicles (and host in general). We researched how these small insects attach to the surface of bees and stay there, even during flight.” Original paper
Is Ophrys pollination more opportunistic than previously thought?
(Twitter, Prof. Jeff Ollerton @JeffOllerton) “Studying more populations/years shows us that some of the textbook ‘highly specialised’ flower-pollinator interactions are more complex than we had supposed” Original paper
Society/Culture
Biodiversity’s greatest protectors need protection
(Scientific American) “Critics charge that some advocates of 30x30 seek ‘a new model of colonialism’ that forces those least responsible for climate change, biodiversity loss and other environmental crises to pay the highest price for averting them. 30x30 could be used by elites in democratically challenged nation-states as a pretext for seizing land from marginalized groups. The home ranges of Indigenous peoples currently shelter 80 percent of Earth's remaining biodiversity and sequester almost 300 trillion tons of carbon. Precisely because of this abundance, these areas are likely to be some of the first places targeted for ‘protection’. If that happens, the very people who defend nature from the voracious appetites of the Global North, often at the cost of their lives, would be penalized for their efforts.”
David Attenborough intervenes after Australian shopping center bee plaque misquotes him
(The Guardian) A suburban South Australian shopping center has created a buzz after it falsely attributed a quote about bees, written on a plaque in a bathroom hallway, to the famous British naturalist Sir David Attenborough. The plaque, labelled “honey bee propaganda”, has now been removed after Attenborough himself intervened.
The Buzz coloring book is available
(Twitter, Janean Sharkey @janean_sharkey) “A digital copy of our native bee and TGP educational colouring book is finally available online!” Coloring book
One More Thing…
(Oregon State University) Oregon’s Lava Hole Bee (Atoposmia oregona) hadn’t been seen in Oregon since 1969. That changed in 2018 when the species was rediscovered as part of the Oregon Bee Atlas survey. Lava Hole Bees are less than 1/4 inch in length and make their home in the most inhospitable environment: the lava fields of Oregon and California Cascades and Sierra Nevada.