Bees in the news

An early spring bad news for bees?
January 2012
Sightings of bees popping out of daffodils may come sooner than we think, but is an early spring good news for bees? Alison Benjamin, co-author of A World without Bees and Bees in the City, reports for The Guardian: 'This premature spring could be bad news for honeybees. We heard there were more winners than losers from last year's confusing weather, including the mining bee which emerged from its burrow in garden lawns just as flowers bloomed early. But the drought-like conditions in much of the UK and a poor summer, followed by an exceptionally warm autumn did honeybees few favours. They went into winter low on food after poor honey yields.' So what should UK beekeepers do? Watch your bees and see what they are doing, heft hives to check the weight of honey stores, and leave fondant in the roof. The British Beekeepers Association advises, 'Prepare for spring, time is moving forward'. Beekeepers can support each other by joining the discussions on BBKA forums online.
Read the full story: An early spring may be bad news for honey-poor bees

Specialised soldier bees discovered

January 2012

Scientists have discovered the first known bee species to have a specialised soldier class. The 'soldier' bee has been identified in colonies of a Brazilian stingless bee known as a Jatai. The bee is larger and heavier than worker bees and fiercely defends the nest.

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that Jatai soldiers 'stand on the tube leading to the entrance of their nest to provide early warnings of attack by robber bees, which can kill entire colonies when raiding nests for food.'

Read the full story: Soldier bees guard their nest against attack by robbers via The Guardian

Tweet tweet, buzz buzz

Top bee tweets of the week:

'Forest edges appear to be a key for native bees', an interesting video interview via solitarybee

'Do bees have characters? A caring bumble bee queen who gives "buzzes of pleasure" at her brood', pencilandleaf via Emily_Heath

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