The Heartland Bee Newsletter

July 2021 (10th edition)

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In Case You Missed It: Global, National, and Regional Bee News

  • Preliminary results for the Bee Informed Partnership's loss survey have been made available: A total of 3,347 beekeepers from the United States that collectively managed 192,384 colonies provided validated survey responses. This represented 7% of the estimated 2.71 million managed honey-producing colonies in the country in 2020. Over the entire year (1 April 2020 – 1 April 2021), beekeepers in the United States lost an estimated 45.5% of their managed honey bee colonies. This is the second highest annual loss on record. Loss rates should not be interpreted as a change in population size because beekeepers are able to replace lost colonies throughout the year. To learn more, visit https://beeinformed.org/2021/06/21/united-states-honey-bee-colony-losses-2020-2021-preliminary-results/.

  • Higher global temperatures mean more pests, in places they weren't before. The logic follows that more pesticides (specifically, organosilicon surfactants) will be implemented in those places, negatively impacting pollinator health. Dr. Scott McArt from Cornell University is inviting beekeepers to send samples for reduced price pesticide analyzation ($90 per 10 gram sample). For more information, visit https://blogs.cornell.edu/ccecf/.

  • In international trade, should honey be defined as produced only by Apis mellifera, or the overall genus Apis, which includes eight species of bees? Honey made by different species have significantly different physiochemical properties. Honey is a very complicated product, both chemically and legally. The debate stretches beyond into hive products, such as pollen and propolis. Current regulations are seen as discriminatory against countries utilizing native Apis populations rather than imported European honey bees.

  • International honey standards define composition and quality factors for honey, but biologically active properties are not discussed. To better identify quality honey with health-promoting properties, it is being suggested that the level of antibacterial activity in different varieties of honey be quantified.

  • The U.S. Department of Commerce is investigating surging volumes of non-raw honey from Vietnam, Brazil, India, Ukraine, and Argentina. These imports are responsible for significantly depressed domestic honey prices.

  • The Eastern Apicultural Society of North America is hosting a conference next month, in Kentucky. For more information, visit https://www.easternapiculture.org/.