Study Shows How Prescribed Burns Benefit Bees
Freshly burned longleaf pine forests have more than double the total number of bees and bee species than similar forests that have not burned in over 50 years, according to new research from North Carolina State University.
Black-Orange-Black Color Pattern Found in 23 Families of Wasps, Bees, and Ants
Well-known in Lepidoptera and Coleoptera, the distinct black-orange-black color pattern has never been fully documented in Hymenoptera—until now. A study of more than 1 million wasp, bee, and other hymenopteran specimens finds a wide range of variations of the pattern present in 23 families within the order Hymenoptera.
Why Both Teaching and Learning Drew One Entomologist Back to Academia
Meet Scott O'Neal, Ph.D., postdoctoral researcher and instructor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, specialist in insect physiology and immune function, and subject of the next installment of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" series.
Bees Stopped Buzzing During the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse
A study conducted during the 2017 total solar eclipse in North America found that bees remained active during partial-eclipse phases, but they essentially ceased flying during totality.
New and Easy Marking Method Tracks Bees Without Killing Them
A new study published in the Journal of Insect Science outlines a new technique that quickly, simply, and inexpensively marks bees to track their movement—and it's non-lethal, too. It could make for an valuable improvement for mark-and-recapture methods for these pollinators.
Beyond the Honey Bee: How Pesticides Affect Solitary, Cavity-Nesting Bees
Solitary bees face different—and less well-understood—challenges from pesticide exposure than their colony-dwelling honey bee cousins. A pair of entomologists encourage colleagues to dedicate more research to these important pollinators.
The Microscopic Spines That Many Bee Species Use to Hatch
Perhaps you’ve seen the 2015 video from photographer Anand Varma (and shared again last week via National Geographic), a time-lapse of bee larvae hatching and growing in their cells: Watch: […]
Walking Among Giants in Northwest Thailand
This post is the first in the “Travel Bug” series by Laura Kraft, a recent graduate from the University of Georgia, who will be chronicling her travels in Asia from […]
New Bee Species Bores into Sandstone
When Michael Orr, a graduate student at Utah State University, observed what appeared to be bee nests in sandstone at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Park in Utah, he decided to […]
Study Shows Leaf Fertilizers to Be Toxic to Stingless Bees
By Andrew Porterfield There’s been a lot of focus and scientific study on the population reductions of honey bees and other pollinators. Some possible causes that have been cited are: […]
Radio Tagging Bumble Bees to Figure Out What the Buzz Is All About
By Jeremy Hemberger Bees are on a lot of folk’s minds these days, and for good reason. They provide pollination services to over 70% of the crops worldwide, helping to […]
An Opportunity to Study Bees and Pollination in Costa Rica
By Gerrit van de Klashorst The importance of bees and other pollinators for natural and agricultural ecosystems has been well documented. But during the past decades, pollinators have been in […]
Kiley Friedrich Talks About Plant Diversity and Bee Communities
In this video, which was made by entomology graduate students Jeremy Hemberger and Michael Falk during Entomology 2015 in Minneapolis, Kiley Friedrich (University of Wisconsin-Madison) talks about her poster on […]
Four New Bee Species Discovered in Australia
Four new native bee species have been recognized as part of the largest Australian nature discovery project, called “Bush Blitz.” The South Australian bee specialists used molecular and morphological evidence […]
Study Finds Very Few Wild Bee Species Pollinate Major Crops
A major international study finds that surprisingly few bee species are responsible for pollinating the world’s crops. The paper, published in Nature Communications, suggests that only two percent of wild […]
Entomovectoring Uses Bees to Fight Fungus with Fungus
A disease called brown rot, which is caused by a fungus, costs the Australian cherry industry $150 million per year. To combat the disease, University of Adelaide researchers are trying […]