Showing posts with label bees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bees. Show all posts

Texas Forms Murder Hornet Task Force

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the creation of a task force to watch the possible arrival of the Asian giant hornet (AGH). Also known as "murder hornets," the world's larget hornet has a venomous sting that can kill humans. So far, the only part of the United States that is known to have the invasive insect is the state of Washington, where it was discovered in 2019. The AGH has not been found in Texas – yet.


According to AgriLife Today, Gov. Abbott requested "a specialized task force led by Texas A&M AgriLife experts is spearheading an initiative to protect Texas citizens, agriculture and honey bees if the 'murder hornet,' or Asian giant hornet, arrives. The hornet, Vespa mandarinia, preys on bees and can decimate local honey bee populations." And...
The task force is planning several avenues of action. The team will provide science-based educational materials on the hornet for citizens and beekeepers. In addition, to guard against the hornet entering Texas, the task force will work on detection efforts for border and port-of-entry points. The team will also assist with mitigation efforts to protect Texas honey bee populations. Finally, the task force will prepare statewide identification efforts if necessary. 
And...
“While widespread surveillance for the hornets in Texas is premature, we do need strategies to prevent the hornets arriving here in cargo,” Ragsdale said. “Right now, what we need to know is whether the Asian giant hornets have successfully overwintered in British Columbia or in Washington state.”
Asian Giant Hornet Photo By: Justin / Flickr CC License
The 'murder hornet' is a native of Asia, primarily in the east in Japan and South Korea.  It was "discovered for the first time in North America in August [2019] in British Columbia, Canada located and eradicated in September."

The AGH is predatory, and its favorite prey is honey bees. Only 15 to 30 hornets can kill 30,000 to 50,000 honey bee workers in a few hours. Their goal: Take the bees' larval young to their own nest to eat them.

The frightening efficiency of the AGH attack on honey bees has many agriculturalists worried. Bees are very important pollinators, so many crops would be threatened if enough of them are wiped out by the AGH. Honey production, of course, could also be reduced.

Experts are saying that Americans who live in colder climates shouldn't worry about the so-called 'murder hornets' because they probably can't survive the winter.

Related:
Asian Giant Hornet; Texas A&M Agrilife Extension
Murder Hornets Invade North America, Europe; Chicago News Bench
New Pest Response Guidelines - Vespa mandarinia; USDA (pdf) 

Murder Hornets Invade North America, Europe (Updated)

The "murder hornet" is the Asian giant hornet
Photo Credit: Unknown
The Asian giant hornets (AGH) are only now beginning their foray into North America.

UPDATE: Texas governor requests formation of a task force to prepare for AGH invasion.

They've already established a beachhead in Europe. "Murder hornets" have been in Britain since 2016. Before Britain, the murder hornets also invaded Spain (2010), Portugal and Belgium (2011), Italy (2012), and Germany (2014).

Twitter was freaked out by screaming click-bait tweets about "Murder Hornets," winged stinging devils from Hell itself, reeking of sulfur. But seriously, these little monsters are actually no laughing matter. They're just as scary as some people would have you think. So, just what are these so-called "Murder Hornets?"

Adult cicada killer wasp hauling its cicada prey.
Photo by Steven Kritchen, Bugguide.net
A brief note about those huge wasps we see in Texas: They are NOT "murder hornets." They're the "cicada killer wasp" (Sphecius speciosus). Texas A&M says that "Although female cicada killers can sting, they usually ignore people and are rarely aggressive. On the other hand, males are often territorial and may act aggressively. Here’s the deal though. Males don’t possess stingers and are completely harmless." I see them in Houston. They're impressive but not threatening.

"Murder hornets" are better known as "Asian giant hornets." Their venomous sting can kill humans. It is Vespa mandarinia, the world's largest hornet species. They are native to Southeast Asia and they prey on other critters. Their favorite prey is bees. One sting is enough to a human allergic to their venom, but several stings can kill a non-allergic person. Imagine tiny striped rattlesnakes with wings and a penchant for mayhem. That's what "murder hornets" are like.

According to the New York Times, it's also "known as the yak-killer hornet, the commander wasp in Korea and the tiger head bee in Taiwan, according to experts." The NYT quoted May Berenbaum, the head of the entomology department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: "You want to talk about beepocalypse...They are sworn enemies of honey bees. I would say a bee’s worst nightmare. Probably the worst nightmare of a lot of people, too."

For the moment, the state of Washington is the only part of the U.S. that Asian giant hornets are know to have established themselves. Take no comfort in that, however.  It’s just a matter of time before the “murder hornet’’ gets to the East Coast, experts warned The Post on Sunday.

Is Clothianidin Killing The Honey Bees? Maybe, But Maybe Not

Photograph: Sean McCann, UF/IFAS Honey Bee
Research and Extension Laboratory
June 22, 2012 - Humans and their pesticides might be innocent - or not as guilty as thought - in the mystery of colony collapse disorder (CCD) that is causing a depletion of honey bee population worldwide. The evidence is not yet conclusive. Look it up on your favorite search engine, for example, and you'll find a number of theories and "explanations" as to the cause of the bees' dwindling numbers.

There is, to borrow a word from the panicky global warmists, no "consensus" yet about what the real cause - or causes - could be. Unlike the warmists, I am willing to be open minded and urge further research before we rush into banning certain pesticides. The theories range from virus-spreading mites, pesticides, pollutants and even chemtrails.

Consider this June 8, 2012 article at io9.com. It said that clothianidin, an insecticide sold in the USA, "disrupts the nervous system of insects, leading it to be a prime suspect in the mass death of honey bees. And just a few months ago we reported on a Science article reaffirming the suspicion that insecticides, particularly neonicotinoids, may be responsible. But new research coming out of Hawaii suggests that this may not be the case....It turns out that the parasitic Varroa mite - long known to torment honey bee populations - may be the culprit behind CCD. Or more accurately, it's the Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) that's being transmitted by these mites that's causing all the trouble."

The io9 article goes on to explain that the findings are not unique to Hawaii, and that CCD worldwide may be caused by the same mite-virus combination. "The research, which was conducted in Hawaii by researchers at Sheffield University, the Marine Biological Association, FERA and University of Hawaii, showed that Varroa increases the frequency of DWV in bee colonies from 10% to an astounding 100%."

There is still general confusion and disagreement among experts about the cause of CCD. Even so, that has not stopped some people from rushing to declare victory in the fight against it.

Consider this absurd headline from Reuters, for example: "Mystery of the disappearing bees: Solved!" Reuters's writer Richard Schiffman declared in his April 9, 2012 post that "Until recently, the evidence was inconclusive on the cause of the mysterious “colony collapse disorder” (CCD) that threatens the future of beekeeping worldwide. But three new studies point an accusing finger at a culprit that many have suspected all along, a class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids." Trouble is, some experts would say that the neonicotinoid family of pesticides (which includes clothianidin, thiamethoxam and imidacloprid) are not necessarily the cause of CCD. To wit, the Hawaiian study cited in the io9.com article above, which reports that Deformed Wing Virus, transmitted by the Varroa mite, is more to blame.

Curiously, Reuters ran another story on June 14, 2012 that contradicts Schiffman's declaration. "Bee populations have been falling rapidly in many countries, fueled by a phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder. Its cause is unclear but the Varroa mite is a prime suspect, since it spreads viruses while feeding on hemolymph, or bee’s 'blood'."

"Varroa mites reduce individual bee and colony vigor by feeding on their haemolymph," says a report from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia. Haemolymph is the circulatory fluid of bees. "In addition, they vector viruses and facilitate infection by other bee pathogens."  The report cautions beekeepers that they should "Be aware that strong colonies in mid-summer can be highly infested with Varroa and even strong colonies can crash in population in late-summer and fall." There are ways to battle the Varroa mite, one being a bait-and-kill method that utilizes sticky boards and semiochemicals (natural chemical attractants). However, they are at best 35 to 50 percent effective in causing the mites to drop off of their bee host victims. (Watch a video of varroa mites infestation of mites inside the cells of a honeybee drone brood.)

Varroa mites cling to a bee pupa (more)
Varroa mites (varroa destructor can cause the destruction of a honey bee colony ("parasitic mite syndrome") is typified by the presence of "scattered brood, crawling or even crippled bees and unexplainable reduction of the bee population. The damage threshold however is not correlated with a fixed number of mites per colony."


The symptoms can vary, however, and can be influenced by factors such as bee and brood population of a particular hive or colony, the season "and the presence of bee viruses." Some of those viruses are known to be spread by Varroa mites.

Which to believe? I don't know, and a lot of experts are still uncertain as well. In Canada, pesticides are regulated by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA). Better Farming recently reported that the president of the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association "says that the majority of dead honeybee samples tested by PMRA came back positive for clothianidin." 

Note: The "majority" of bees in the samples tested positive for clothianidin, not "all" of the bees. In other words, the samples tested did not provide conclusive evidence. It is compelling, yes, and certainly justifies further investigation and study, but if this was a criminal trial and clothianidin was the defendant, the jury would have to acquit because they would not be convinced beyond reasonable doubt.

Nevertheless, there are an awful lot of people currently screaming for the complete and immediate banning of clothianidin. If it is proven guilty, so to speak, then it should be banned. However, let's remember that the rush to ban the pesticide DDT a few decades ago has led to the death and utter misery of hundreds of millions of people worldwide who live in areas infested by malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

Even if clothianidin is the culprit in CCD, there could be mitigating circumstances: How clothianidin and other pesticides, for example, are distributeRachael Ludwick gives us a clue about this at r3431.com, where she cites a study that "describes how a pesticide — added as a seed-coating so that it will continue to work against pests as the plant grows — may be exposing bees to more of the pesticide than expected. This is extremely interesting to me because a major advantage of seed-coating is that it reduces environmental exposure. Relatively small amounts coat the seed and they are translocated throughout the plant as it grows, ideally only affecting pests that eat the plant itself." Ludwick also wrote, "the pesticide-coated seeds have to be coated in talc before planting to keep from jamming the equipment. The residue talc and dust was contaminated with pesticide ....which they postulate could be falling on other flowers that bees forage on which the authors see as a significant risk of exposure."

Ludwick then surprises her readers by cautioning against rushing to ban clothianidin. "You might think from reading this that we should ban this pesticide immediately. But that seems premature to me. First, the authors themselves note that better handling of talc and dust residues could remove 99% of the risk from that exposure route."

Despite calmer advice from people such as Ludwick, a flurry of hurry-up-and-ban activity is taking place. The panic-stricken Beyond Pesticides, a grouping of "beekeepers and environmental groups," has presented a petition to the Environmental Protection Agency. They claim to have "over 1 million citizens" who have signed a petition to "urge [the] EPA to suspend use of pesticide that kills bees." While I respect these people in their effort to get the government to consider the potential dangers of clothianidin, they should really not be taken seriously.

While their petition cites a lot of studies, we've seen here that there are many other studies that indicate that clothianidin may not be the culprit, or the only culprit, that is causing CCD. It is somewhat odd that the people behind the petition give no credence whatsoever to the possibility that anything other than clothianidin (and related neonicotinoid pesticides) could be killing bees. They make no reference to the Hawaiian study, and they certainly don't mention chemtrails. (I wonder if anybody at Beyond Pesticides sees the irony of that, considering the name of their organization.)

I am not an apologist for the makers of any insecticides. Nor am I saying that clothianidin is harmless. It's just that from reading a lot of the literature out there, from a wide variety of opinions, there is general confusion. Accusation are flying against GM corn, against nicotine-based pesticides, against mites, some blame climate change, many blame a combination of some or all of the above. Another thing to consider: There is very, very strong evidence that the parasitic Varroa mite is a prime suspect in CCD. For the eco-imperialists, however, the mite does not fit into their political agenda. 

IF clothianidin is the culprit, then ban it. But I would hate to see what may be a useful pesticide banned unnecessarily and - worse yet - have attention diverted from the  Varroa mites, the true villain in the story. We still have time.

And, finally, some "good" news: Even if all the bees went extinct tomorrow, we would NOT starve, no sir, because the vast majority of our non-animal food sources do NOT depend upon pollination for reproduction. Einstein is said to have warned that if all the bees died out, humans would starve to death four years later. Fortunately, this is simply not true (and there is even some doubt that Einstein even actually said that). Bees are not the only insects that act as pollinators. That being said, it would cause us to lose a number of beloved agricultural products, but would not mean the extinction of homo sapiens. Not even close.

Virus Wiping Out Bees... Maybe

RPB told you so - the mysterious disappearance of thousands of bee colonies all over the U.S., Canada and other part of the world is not due to global warming. Pesticides? Maybe. Mites? Perhaps. But scientists now favor the theory that it's a newly discovered virus. Sorry, Al Gore, you can't use this in your next PowerPoint show. WASHINGTON - Scientific sleuths have a new suspect for a mysterious affliction that has killed off honeybees by the billions: a virus previously unknown in the United States. The scientists report using a novel genetic technique and old-fashioned statistics to identify Israeli acute paralysis virus as the latest potential culprit in the widespread deaths of worker bees, a phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder. FULL STORY at CHICAGO TRIBUNE...

Colony Collapse Disorder

No, this is not a story about the British Empire of yore. It is the story of a much larger colony, many colonies, actually. Honeybees are disappearing in the millions around the U.S. and other parts of the world. Bee keepers are panicking; some have been forced out of business. Imagine a cattle rancher whose entire herd has suddenly disappeared without a trace, and that is what bee keepers are experiencing. Roughly one fourth of our domestic agricultural crop is completely dependent upon honeybees for polination; without their assistance, those crops cannot reproduce. No, we're not going to starve because of this (Einstein was wrong), but if the problem is not solved it will cause tremendous damage to agriculture and local economies. The following article sums it up well. Colony Collapse Disorder KELOLAND TV, SD - May 23, 2007 - CCD or colony collapse disorder is what scientists say is killing tens of millions of bees in the U.S. ... CCD or colony collapse disorder is what scientists say is killing tens of millions of bees in the US. Since the discovery of CCD, Adee says he has lost a few colonies but nowhere near the number of losses many other beekeepers are dealing with. And if you don't think CCD will affect you, think again. Sooner or later consumers will feel the sting of fewer bees at the grocery store. Adee says, "And that's why Congress is so concerned. Ninety crops depend on bee pollination. One bite out of every three we eat comes from bee pollinated crops." FULL ARTICLE... Fungus a possible culprit in bee loss Are mobile phones wiping out the bees? French Beekeepers Brace for Asian Sting

Bee-zarre

There bee a current mystery in many parts of the world: Where have the bees gone? Honey bees have been abandoning their hives in the millions, and experts are mystified. But stories abound about swarms of bees around the world wreaking havoc and mischief. Recently there was a swarm of bumble bees that forced an airplane to make an emergency landing. Where did those bees come from? LONDON (Reuters) - A passenger plane was forced to land after flying into a swarm of British bees Thursday....Huge clouds of bees have been seen around Bournemouth over the past few days, a spokeswoman said. FULL STORY... According to the EarthTimes, "A swarm of bumblebees forced a British passenger jet to turn back to base, delaying for 11 hours some 200 holidaymakers on their way to Faro, southern Portugal, the charter airline said Friday." MORE... RELATED: Aggressive bees take over Texas street Mick Jagger reportedly used bees to enlarge manhood Mystery ailment kills 30% of Alberta bees Beekeepers attribute winter losses to whims of weather, not disease Bees disappearing in northwest regions of Iran

Honey Bee Crisis: A Global Mystery

An excellent report about the mysterious disappearance of honey bees by science reporter Linda Moulton Howe. This is a problem not only in the United States, by the way. This is happening in other parts of the world, and nobody yet knows the cause or the solution. Here is an excerpt from Linda Moulton Howe's report:
"So far, there are still no answers, but there is a long list of possibilities, which include pesticides and genetically modified crops, also known as GMOs or GMs. Scientists say there is no direct evidence that genetically modified crops are linked to honey bee die-offs. But I have been learning that not much is known about the accumulating impact of pesticides on insects, animals and even people when you consider in this modern world how many combinations of pesticides are used. One pesticide by itself might not destroy honey bees. But what happens when farmers spray herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and rodenticides on land that also has genetically modified crops with pesticides built-in?"

Click map for larger image