Colony Collapse Disorder

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$2.1 million enables creation of decision-support tools for pollinator health

3/27/18

The Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State, in collaboration with researchers at the University of California, Davis; the University of Minnesota; and Dickinson College will receive more than $2 million from the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research and the United States Department of Agriculture to translate basic research into online decision support tools to help beekeepers and land managers maintain and expand populations of managed and wild bees.

beekeeper

Scientists reveal core genes involved in immunity of honey bees

3/2/17

A core set of genes involved in the responses of honey bees to multiple diseases caused by viruses and parasites has been identified by an international team of researchers. The findings provide a better-defined starting point for future studies of honey-bee health, and may help scientists and beekeepers breed honey bees that are more resilient to stress.

dead pupa

Common crop chemical leaves bees susceptible to deadly viruses

1/16/17

A chemical that is thought to be safe and is, therefore, widely used on crops — such as almonds, wine grapes and tree fruits — to boost the performance of pesticides, makes honey bee larvae significantly more susceptible to a deadly virus, according to researchers at Penn State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

honey bees and beekeepers

Honey bees use multiple genetic pathways to fight infections

3/26/15

Honey bees use different sets of genes, regulated by two distinct mechanisms, to fight off viruses, bacteria and gut parasites, according to researchers at Penn State and the Georgia Institute of Technology. The findings may help scientists develop honey bee treatments that are tailored to specific types of infections.

bee with face in red flower

Diet affects pesticide resistance in honey bees

11/3/14

Feeding honey bees a natural diet of pollen makes them significantly more resistant to pesticides than feeding them an artificial diet, according to a team of researchers, who also found that pesticide exposure causes changes in expression of genes that are sensitive to diet and nutrition.

African honeybee on a red flower

East African honeybees are safe from invasive pests … for now

4/16/14

Several parasites and pathogens that devastate honeybees in Europe, Asia and the United States are spreading across East Africa, but do not appear to be impacting native honeybee populations at this time, according to an international team of researchers.

Researchers receive $1.14 million to study threats to honeybees

4/4/14

Scientists in the Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State received three grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Science Foundation to study various threats to honeybees, including disease, pesticides and the extinction and invasion of other species into their habitats.

Bee feeding larva in the hive

Common crop pesticides kill honeybee larvae in the hive

1/27/14

Four pesticides commonly used on crops to kill insects and fungi also kill honeybee larvae within their hives, according to Penn State and University of Florida researchers. The team also found that N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) -- an inert, or inactive, chemical commonly used as a pesticide additive -- is highly toxic to honeybee larvae.

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Video: Maryann Frazier discusses pollinator decline

7/23/12

In this video clip, Maryann Frazier talks about the decline of pollinators and the prime suspects behind it. Some of these suspects include the use of pesticides, on both small and large scales, that destroy food sources for bees; agribusiness practices such as monocropping, in which the same single crop is planted year after year, eliminating the plant diversity pollinators need; stress caused by transporting the bees across country for commercial pollination needs; and threats such as nosema disease, viruses and mites. Maryann Frazier is Senior Extension Associate in the Department of Entomology at Penn State. This brief clip was excerpted from Frazier's Spring 2012 Research Unplugged talk titled "Disappearing Bees: An Update on the Search for Prime Suspects."

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Gardeners can help keep pollinators healthy

7/5/11

Despite widely published reports, many people are unaware that bees -- both managed colonies of honeybees and wild bees alike -- are in trouble due to Colony Collapse Disorder and other environmental factors. Planting a pollinator-friendly garden may be one of the best ways to help these beneficial insects, say experts in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Penn State leads in Honey Bee Health initiative

5/17/11

A nationwide network to monitor and maintain honeybee health is the aim of the Bee Informed Partnership, a five-year, $5 million program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture and led by Penn State.

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$100,000 endowment will aid undergraduate honeybee research

7/22/10

Penn State's efforts to address Colony Collapse Disorder, a nationwide phenomenon in which the adult honeybees of a hive disappear, often spelling death for the colony, will benefit from a gift of $100,000 to aid pollinator research. Honey distributor Dutch Gold Honey and William and Kitty Gamber, of Lancaster, Pa., have each contributed $50,000 to endow a fund that will support undergraduates studying entomology.

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Latest research on honeybees to be featured at pollinator conference

6/25/10

Top researchers, government officials and representatives of organizations from around the world will be presenting their latest findings on honeybees and other pollinators at the inaugural International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health and Policy being held by the Penn State Center for Pollinator Research, July 24-28 at the University Park campus.

Entomology graduate fellowship to honor apiarist Lorenzo L. Langstroth

6/7/10

Penn State has received a $250,000 gift to endow a graduate fellowship in entomology in the College of Agricultural Sciences. At the request of the donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, the endowment will be named the Lorenzo L. Langstroth Graduate Fellowship in Entomology, in honor of the 19th century apiarist widely considered to be the "father of American beekeeping."

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