The Research Buzz
Welcome to The Research Buzz, a recurring column where I will summarize some of the newest and coolest in honey bee research.
Each Research Buzz will highlight five new studies. For some studies, I provide a more detailed break-down of the research on this website (see the "deep dive" links below). For all studies, I provide a link to the full research paper so that you can dive even deeper. Of course, don't worry if you don't have time to read academic papers - that's why I'm providing the highlights! These articles are also published in the Mass Bee newsletter.
Spring 2021: Pesticides in pollen, best management practices for beekeepers, screened bottom boards, and a honey bee textbook for veterinarians
Read the full column here:
Spring 2021
Fall 2020: Crop pollination, propolis-friendly hives, feral mites, disease tramission at flowers, and a newly observed bumble bee behavior
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Fall 2020
Summer 2020: Apiary design, screened bottom boards, bee dialects, and simple backyard bee habitat improvements
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Summer 2020
Spring 2020: Pesticide results from the 2018 MA Hobbyist Honey Bee Health Survey (you can read the full research report here)
Read the full column here:
Spring 2020
Here are some tips on
protecting your hives from pesticides
Winter 2019: "Mite bombs", viral transmission, contaminated wax foundation, varroa-neonic interactions and a new pesticide guide
Read the full column here:
Winter 2019
Fall 2019: NASS Survey suspension, neonic-treated soybean seeds, Varroa transmission via flowers, amino acids and sexual competition
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Fall 2019
Summer 2019: Neonics and in-hive behavior, hive spacing, protein supplements, almond pollination, and entomophagy.
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Summer 2019
Spring 2019: Varroa biology, queen quality, a new honey bee manual, and the lunar eclipse.
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Spring 2019
Deep dive: Varroa mites feed on fat body tissue not hemolymph (Ramsey et al. 2019)
Deep dive: Comparing Northern and Southern Queens (Döke et al. 2018)
Deep dive: Can brood pattern tell us about queen quality? (Lee et al. 2019)