Monarch butterflies' spectacular migration is at risk – an ambitious new plan aims to help save it

Can a plan that brings together government and private landowners create enough habitat for monarch butterflies?

D. André Green II, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan • conversation
Sept. 18, 2020 • ~9 min
Tags: conservation insects migration wildlife-conservation pollinators trump-administration endangered-species habitat butterflies endangered-species-act

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.

Phil Starks, Associate Professor of Biology, Tufts University • conversation
Aug. 14, 2020 • ~9 min
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.

Mark Brown, Professor of Evolutionary Ecology & Conservation, Royal Holloway • conversation
Aug. 10, 2020 • ~7 min
Tags: insects bees air-pollution india pollinators pollination honey-bees bangalore

Moths do the pollinator night shift – and they work harder than daytime insects

New research sheds light on the unsung heroes of pollination.

Richard Elton Walton, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Biology, Newcastle University • conversation
May 19, 2020 • ~6 min
Tags: insects plants pollinators pollination ponds moths nocturnal

What are Asian giant hornets, and are they really dangerous? 5 questions answered

Are 'murder hornets' from Asia invading North America? A Japanese entomologist who's been stung by one and lived to tell the tale explains what's true about these predatory insects.

Akito Y Kawahara, Associate Professor and Curator of Insects, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida • conversation
May 11, 2020 • ~9 min
Tags: insects agriculture wildlife japan entomology pollinators asia invasive-species honeybees wild-bees

It's wrong to blame bats for the coronavirus epidemic

The value that bats provide to humans by pollinating crops and eating insects is far greater than harm from virus transmission – which is mainly caused by human actions.

Peter Alagona, Associate Professor of History, Geography and Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara • conversation
March 24, 2020 • ~8 min

Tags:  covid-19  coronavirus  mammals  ecology  coronavirus-2020  viruses  pollinators  bats  endangered-species  zoonotic-diseases

Spring is arriving earlier across the US, and that's not always good news

Climate change has advanced the arrival of spring by as much as several weeks in some parts of the US. This can mean major crop losses and disconnects between species that need each other to thrive.

Theresa Crimmins, Director, USA National Phenology Network, University of Arizona • conversation
March 4, 2020 • ~7 min

Tags:  climate-change  birds  agriculture  plants  citizen-science  winter  spring  pollinators  seasonal-change  phenology

'Bee-washing' hurts bees and misleads consumers

'Bee-washing,' marketing claims that purport to help bees, can diminish the important distinction between a honey bee and native bee.

Lila Westreich, PhD Candidate, School of Environment and Forest Sciences, Seattle, Washington, University of Washington • conversation
Feb. 19, 2020 • ~7 min

Tags:  bumblebees  pollinators  pollination  honey  introduced-species  beekeeping  honeybee

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