Next Time You Eat a Kiwifruit, Don’t Thank a Bee
Honey bees and bumble bees excel at pollinating wide varieties of plants and crops, but kiwifruit is not one of them. A study investigating kiwifruit pollination methods found fruit developed on barely 3 percent of bee-pollinated flowers, leaving artificial pollination (by human hand) as the primary choice for kiwifruit growers.
The State of Insect Resistance to Transgenic Bt Crops
Crops engineered to produce insecticidal proteins from the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have had many noteworthy successes in the past 25 years, but resistance to Bt crops has evolved in numerous instances, as well. A new research review examines global patterns of resistance to Bt crops and outlines strategies for maximizing sustainability of this important tool for pest management.
RNAi Insecticide Offers Promise for Managing Colorado Potato Beetle
A study evaluating one of the first insecticides developed to use RNA interference as a mode of action finds significant effects on mobility, pupation, and reproduction of the target insect, the Colorado potato beetle.
Honey Bee Heat Warms Up Fellow Pollinators for Early-Season Blooms
An incubator that draws excess heat from a honey bee hive warms up managed Osmia lignaria bees so they can pollinate early-blooming fruit trees such as cherry, apple, and almond. A new study shows the hivetop incubators are effective, with little effect on the honey bee hive temps below.