Archives – September, 2016
From: Brainerd Dispatch
ST. PAUL—Rep. Dale Lueck, R-Aitkin, and other members of the Minnesota House Agriculture Policy Committee held a hearing Sept. 13 on Gov. Mark Dayton’s recent executive order regarding restrictions on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, a news release from Lueck said.
“Unfortunately the content and manner in which this order was announced created unnecessary confusion and uncertainty within the agriculture community that rely on neonicotinoids as an approved means of controlling insect damage to crops,” said Lueck, who serves on both the House agriculture committees — finance and policy. “Whether intended or not, the governor’s order left the perception with the media and farmers that neonicotinoids and their use by farmers are single handedly responsible for the decline in pollinators.”
September 19, 2016
From: Royal Gazette
Rajan Simons
King of bees: beekeeper Randolph Furbert, former president of the Bermuda Beekeepers Association (Photograph by Blaire Simmons)
Bermuda’s beekeepers are getting back on their feet after the plague that struck their hives in 2008.
The tiny varroa mite preyed on local honey bees eight years ago, causing the number of beehives to fall from 350 to about 125.
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September 16, 2016
From: AgNetWest.com
Everett Griner talks about CCD and the Varroa Mite research in today’s Agri View.
Now I try to pass along all of the information I get on CCD. That is the disease that threatens the future of the honeybee. There is nothing new to report this week except that the effort to find a solution to the problem is still in high gear. One thing that contributes to the problem is there is no less than sixty factors that cause CCD. It is possible there may be more than that. The Varroa mite is one of the major factors. . . .
September 15, 2016
From: The Progressive Farmer
It’s “Complicated, Enigmatic, Imperfectly Understood?” Oh, Write It Anyway
By Urban Lehner, Editor Emeritus
Tamar Haspel, who writes a monthly column on food and agriculture for the Washington Post, says she’s been accused of having “an unrealistically kumbaya vision of how to fix problems in the food supply.” Which is a gracious way of saying, “Zealots attack me for being moderate and fair-minded.”
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A beekeeper herself, Haspel interviews a beekeeper, an entomologist, a corn-and-beans farmer, USDA’s top bee researcher and spokesmen for two environmental groups, Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund. Ironically, it’s the beekeeper who has the fewest problems with pesticides. His top three concerns? “Varroa, varroa and varroa.”
September 14, 2016
From: Michigan State University Extension
The second of seven listening sessions for the Managed Pollinator Protection Plan was held at the Saginaw Valley Research and Extension Center on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016. The attendees represented a handful of groups, including the Saginaw Mosquito Abatement Commission, Midland County Mosquito Control, Miller Chemical, Farmers National Co., Saginaw Valley Beekeepers Association, Michigan State University Extension, commercial beekeepers, Michigan Commercial Beekeepers Association, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and sideliner beekeepers.
September 13, 2016
From: The Institute of Making
We often take natural resources for granted rather than celebrating the preciousness. This spoon is designed to highlight the value and natural endeavour of producing honey, holding just 1/12th of a teaspoon – the amount a single bee produces in its lifetime.
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September 13, 2016
From: ProAg
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Commissioner Dave Frederickson says farmers and commodity groups have been asking for specifics on verifying significant crop loss before applying the pesticide.
“If you abide by the label of the neonic product, you are in fact verifying your need because the label’s pretty clear.”
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“I would suggest they just keep moving ahead and plant the seeds that you are ordering, whether they’re seed-coated or not. The odds are they are going to be seed-coated. We’re not going to stop something from happening and cause a complete disruption in the growing cycle.”
September 12, 2016
From: Fox 17 West Michigan
by Ty Shesky
ALLENDALE, Mich. — The bee population in North America is declining rapidly and researchers all over the world are trying to figure out why.
One of those researchers is Professor Jonathan Engelsma at Grand Valley State University. He and his team of student researchers were recently awarded a $200,000 grant from the US Department of Agriculture to help pinpoint the cause of bee population loss.
Watch/Read Complete Story
September 8, 2016
From: Wanganui Chronicle
By Rachel Rose
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Let’s remember: bees are not domesticated and they work themselves to death (literally) through summer to store honey to keep their colony alive over winter and early spring. It’s common practice to take most or even all those honey stores and substitute it with a heavy sugar syrup.
In the United States, it’s even worse – the bees are fed high fructose corn syrup. Neither of these are equivalent to honey, which is alkaline, has a different chemical structure and is full of micro-nutrients. There’s a difference between calories that keep you alive and food that nourishes you.
September 7, 2016
From: Apiculture NZ
Bee and agrichemical industry join to promote bee safety
Agcarm and Apiculture New Zealand have announced the release of a campaign to increase awareness of the importance of keeping bees safe by using agrichemicals responsibly.
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“Agrichemicals are also vital for ensuring the security of our food supply, especially as we are coined ‘the farmer’s market of the world.’ When these products are used responsibly they pose no threat to our bee population.
September 6, 2016
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