Honey bees tell friend from foe by gut bacteria

For a honey bee, knowing a nestmate from an invader is critical for survival. Chemical cues from shared gut microbial communities cue them in to who is who.

---

Tags: gut-bacteria microbiomes honey-bees featured science-and-technology

Some bees are born curious while others are more single-minded – new research hints at how the hive picks which flowers to feast on

New research suggests individual bees are born with one of two learning styles – either curious or focused. Their genetic tendency has implications for how the hive works together.

---

Tags: genetics insects bees biology food colonies communication group-dynamics drones queen-bees information curiosity foraging nectar

Honey bees can't practice social distancing, so they stay healthy in close quarters by working together

Life in a honey bee hive is all about cooperating for the collective good.

---

Tags: covid-19 insects immune-system bees cooperation social-distancing pollinators beekeeping pathogens honeybees behavioral-ecology

Air pollution could be making honey bees sick – new study

Honey bees in the most polluted parts of an Indian city were more likely to die sooner and showed clear signs of poor health.

---

Tags: insects bees air-pollution india pollinators pollination honey-bees bangalore

Lockdown: Label showing plants safe for bees and butterflies

People enhancing their gardens during lockdown may not realise some plants have insecticides.

---

Tags: environment bees wasps butterflies llanarthney

Loss of bees threatens US crop yields

Declines in populations of bees and other pollinators threatens crop yields of apples, cherries, and blueberries in the US, researchers say.

---

Tags: conservation bees food pollinators crops earth-and-environment

Why allotments offer urban oases for bees and butterflies

Urban green spaces can be a rich habitat for diverse pollinators, if they're managed properly.

---

Tags: insects bees bumblebees pollination urban-wildlife honeybees urban-biodiversity

Blowing bubbles: Soapy spheres pop pollen on fruit trees

Japanese researchers succeed in fertilising pears using pollen carried on a soap bubble.

---

Tags: bees pollination

A Bee C: Scientists translate honeybee queen duets

Queens "quack" when ready to hatch - but if two are free at the same time, they fight to the death.

---

Tags: insects bees wildlife

Harvard bee experts discuss the murder hornet threat

Bee health experts Benjamin de Bivort and James Crall discuss the murder hornet threat and other dangers facing bees.

---

Tags: science-technology bees faculty-of-arts-and-sciences benjamin-de-bivort james-crall juan-siliezar department-of-organismic-and-evolutionary-biology honeybees wild-bees asian-giant-hornet murder-hornet