Bee Friends Bondi

16/06/2024

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-14/benefits-native-bees-why-you-should-have-to-your-garden/103968060

Whether you're interested in the sweet benefits of backyard beekeeping or making your home more appealing to solitary species of native bees, what can you do to attract them to your garden?

30/01/2024

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-10/spotters-guide-australian-flies-species-pests-and-good-deeds/103158802?utm_source=abc_news_web&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_web

You may want every fly to buzz off this summer, but according to a nature writer, some deserve an invitation because the overwhelming majority of more than 30,000 species in Australia are too busy doing good deeds to have an interest in your barbecue.

18/01/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/DCVdyKnMDSGhT3Am/?mibextid=VuxXZ0

14/01/2024

Something to learn from the USA's mistakes

Research has found that several factors have hampered bees’ ability to create honey over the past decade

01/06/2023

Scientists monitored the Royal Entomological Society’s garden and listed its most bug-friendly plants

22/04/2023

Scientists at the University of California, Irvine have made a remarkable discovery about cellophane bees—their microbiomes are some of the most fermentative known from the insect world. These bees, which are named for their use of cellophane-like materials to line their subterranean nests, are kn...

13/04/2023

The latest evidence suggests that food “talks” to our genome, which is the genetic blueprint that directs the way the body works.

06/04/2023

It's the spines. This is the conclusion of two new papers, led by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, showing that the spiny pollen from plants in the sunflower family (Asteraceae) both reduces infection of a common bee parasite by 81-94% and markedly increases the production of....

02/04/2023

02/04/2023

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/02/bees-intelligence-minds-pollination

‘Fringe’ research suggests the insects that are essential to agriculture have emotions, dreams and even PTSD, raising complex ethical questions

14/03/2023

We are saddened to share news of the passing of our brilliant author and legendary entomologist Justin O. Schmidt. His book “The Sting of the Wild,” which NPR described as “Beautifully written . . . like nothing else you have ever read,” describes in striking detail the impacts of various stinging insects on humans, using himself as a test subject. Known as “The King of Sting,” Dr. Schmidt is widely recognized for his Schmidt Sting Pain Index, which continues to help scientists understand and study the effects of stinging insects and their venom. This research is important for a variety of applications, such as developing new drugs to treat pain, cancer, and more.

Dr. Schmidt was research director of the Southwestern Biological Institute and the recipient of many awards and accolades. In keeping with his mischievous sense of humor, he was especially proud of his Ig Nobel Prize, honoring his unusual scientific discoveries. In “The Sting of the Wild,” Dr. Schmidt ascribes a numerical ranking of the agony of the eighty-three insect stings he experienced and describes them in prose worthy of a wine critic: “Looks deceive. Rich and full-bodied in appearance, but flavorless” and “Pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch nail embedded in your heel.” With these colorful descriptions of each venom’s sensation and a story that leaves readers tingling with awe, “The Sting of the Wild” illustrates Dr. Schmidt’s one-of-a-kind style and authorial flair.

Dr. Schmidt’s support for Hopkins Press and his efforts on behalf of his bestselling book were indefatigable, and his generosity to our colleagues and his readers was profound. He inspired people from all walks of life, and loved to correspond with fans, from school children to lauded researchers. He wanted most of all for people to see stinging insects, not as villains to be feared, but as crucial and fascinating contributors to healthy ecosystems. We will remember “The King of Sting” for his vital contributions to science, his playful free spirit, and his true kindness.

Image credit: Sloan Tomlinson

07/03/2023

Many gardeners worry these large larvae might damage plants. But before you squish them, read this.

01/03/2023

New research provides insights into the evolution and ecology of Australian bees. The capricious masked bee employs female nest guards in a cooperative social structure. Meanwhile, fussy feeders abound.

25/11/2022

After laughter, honey may be the best medicine

Background Antibiotic over prescription for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) in primary care exacerbates antimicrobial resistance. There is a need for effective alternatives to antibiotic prescribing. Honey is a lay remedy for URTIs, and has an emerging evidence base for its use. Honey has...

12/09/2022

Mānuka Honey Could Treat Potentially Lethal, Drug Resistant Lung Infections

Humans have used honey for its antimicrobial properties for millennia, and science has only recently been catching up.

19/08/2022

12/08/2022

Study suggests all insects may be sentient

30/07/2022

Our entomologist and bee expert Dr John Roberts comments on the Varroa mite, how it spreads and the current incursion.

29/07/2022

Camera footage reveals that moths make roughly a third of the visits to red clover, highlighting the overlooked role of nighttime pollinators.

29/07/2022

Crustaceans shuttle around red algae’s s*x cells, helping the seaweed reproduce in a manner remarkably similar to flower pollination.

26/07/2022

Ant Colonies Act Eerily Like a Neural Network, New Research Finds

Colonies of ants can act a lot like neural networks, new research has revealed, with groups of the insects weighing up both external inputs and internal principles when making decisions about what to do as a collective.

12/07/2022

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/02/glyphosate-weedkiller-damages-wild-bumblebee-colonies #:~:text=Glyphosate%20weedkiller%20damages%20wild%20bee%20colonies%2C%20study%20reveals,-This%20article%20is&text=The%20critical%20ability%20of%20wild,intended%20to%20kill%20only%20plants.

Most widely used pesticide in history harms critical ability of bumblebee to regulate nest temperature

07/07/2022

02/07/2022

Today's update on DPI's Varroa mite emergency response

🐝 Acquired bees from Newcastle?

All people who have acquired honeybees (including queen bees, nucleus hives and hives with honeybees) from within the 50km emergency notification zone of the Port of Newcastle in the last 12-months are being urged to play their part by reporting them to help ensure business continuity for the bee industry.

Report these honeybees using the online form by NSW DPI, at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/varroa.

Community reporting will hopefully help us facilitate and free up the movement of honeybees in the rest of NSW, especially around almond pollination.

🐝 New infected premises

Four additional infested premises have been detected at Somersby, Tomago and Mayfield East. All infested premises identified so far are epidemiologically linked to earlier cases, which has resulted in a slightly enlarged emergency zone.
See the emergency map on the DPI website at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/varroa to search you location.
DPI, Local Land Services, NSW Police, Rural Fire Service and the wider community are all working together to assist the apiary industry to arrest the spread of the threat.

🐝 Infected premises hive destruction

Unfortunately, it is necessary to euthanise honeybee colonies in the eradication zones and destroy internal hive equipment such as brood and honey frames.

The State Control Centre has completed a risk assessment on options to decontaminate external equipment such as hive boxes, pallets and straps as well as metal ware, so they can be retained by beekeepers.

The response plan has been updated so equipment will only be destroyed when a risk assessment deems it necessary.

🐝 Flood watch and beekeepers
As per the update sent this morning, honeybees and hives can be moved to a higher location on premises, or if that’s not possible, within the same emergency zone.

After the hives have been moved as per this Permit, they cannot be moved back to the original location. Notification of any change in location must be notified by the Beekeeper Notification – Varroa mite online form at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/varroa

Current flood warnings that may impact on the emergency zones can be sourced at http://www.bom.gov.au.

If you are not in a flood watch affected area you must not move honeybees or hives; significant penalties may apply under the Biosecurity Act 2015 if you do.

🐝 More information?
See www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/varroa to read the regularly updated FAQs and the latest media release.

Australian Honey Bee Industry Council Hunter Local Land Services

30/06/2022

NSW DPI is carrying out an emergency response to the recent detection of varroa mite from the Port of Newcastle.

An eradication plan is in place, which is supported by a number of varroa mite emergency zones covering areas within a 50 km radius of infested premises.

Treatment of beehives combined with targeted baiting programs within the eradication emergency zones will be undertaken to eradicate varroa mite. Eradication will also be undertaken for known feral colonies in the surveillance emergency zones.

NSW DPI will conduct ongoing surveillance of managed colonies within the surveillance emergency zones to ensure the spread of varroa mite is prevented.

In the initial stages of this outbreak, and until the varroa mite is contained, a total standstill of hive movement within NSW across all zones will remain in place.

Please ensure you remain up to date with the latest information by looking on the NSW DPI website: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/varroa

28/06/2022

https://twitter.com/sunriseon7/status/1541524698735214592?s=21&t=OoBc4LUfQ6s7rfR9fIKndA

“"We knew it would happen, it was just a matter of when" Beekeeper Lance Lieber says he is "absolutely devastated" after the deadly varroa mite parasite was discovered in Australia for the first time ever 🐝”

28/06/2022

23/06/2022

WeedScan is a new app that will deliver a nationwide system to identify, record and manage priority weeds in Australia.

29/05/2022

Only two weeks away, so now is a great time to buy your ticket and make your plans to get to Sydney 10-12 June, for an inspiring Australian Native Bee Conference weekend of fun and learning from those study, keep, photograph, love and protect our native bees.
https://www.anba.org.au/anba-conference/