Research
Pesticides in Honey Bee Hives in the Maritime Provinces: Residue Levels and Interactions with Varroa mites and Nosema in Colony Stress
Posted:Thu, Dec 5th, 2013 7:42:37 pm
Honey bees, Apis mellifera, are a critical component of global and Canadian agriculture. The Maritime Provinces have a rich history of beekeeping and beekeepers in our region make crucial contributions to pollination service in Atlantic Canada. However, beekeepers continually face high and unacceptable overwintering losses. Parasitic Varroa mites, the pathogen Nosema, and pesticides are considered key threats to honey bees. Although many beekeepers monitor for Varroa and Nosema in their hives, we know little about pesticide loads in hives in Canadian operations, or whether residues of pesticide could be acting additively/synergistically with pathogen and parasite stressors to compromise colony health. This project undertook a pan-Maritime approach, and proposed to answer the following questions:
1. What levels of pesticides are present in hive comb (beeswax)? Samples will be collected from representative hives in NS, NB, and PEI.
2. Is there a relationship between in-hive pesticide loads and the presence of Varroa mite or Nosema? During collection of samples of comb and bees, we will determine infestation levels of Varroa mite and Nosema in the same hives, permitting correlational analyses among these variables.
3. Do effects of pesticides at sublethal concentrations act additively or synergistically with Nosema to compromise colony health? Here we will expose captive bees to nothing (control), Nosema, pesticide, or Nosema + pesticide, and determine effects on longevity and learning/memory.
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Nutritional value and pesticide content of pollen collected by commercial honey bees Apis mellifera in the Maritime Provinces and its implication for honey bee health
Posted:Tue, Feb 12th, 2013 4:03:12 pm
Nutritional value and pesticide content of pollen collected by commercial honey bees Apis mellifera in the Maritime Provinces and its implication for honey bee health
Nutrition testing was performed by AAA Laboratories Inc.; they determined percentage of protein and levels of essential amino acids in honey bee-collected pollen. Of the four sites included, pollen from cranberries had significantly higher percentages of protein than blueberry and post-crop sites. There was no statistically significant difference among apple, blueberry, and post-crop pollen.
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Valeur nutritionnelle et contenu en pesticides du pollen récolté par les abeilles à miel Apis mellifera dans les provinces des Maritimes et les implications sur la santé des abeilles à miel.
Les tests de nutrition ont été réalisés par AAA Laboratories Inc.; ils ont déterminé la proportion de protéine et les niveaux d'acides aminés essentiels contenu dans le pollen récolté par les abeilles à miel. Des quatre sites inclus, le pollen de canneberges avait un pourcentage significativement plus élevé de protéines que les bleuets et que les sites d'après cultures . Il n'y avait pas de différence statistique significative entre pommes, bleuets et le pollen d'après culture.
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