What a waste

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Black Comb

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Heard a report tonight on PM on Radio 4 (sorry can't find a link to post)

Research at the University of Worcester has revealed that honey bees in urban environments produce more honey than those located in farmland. Apparently the range of flowers available in town gardens means there is more nectar then in farmed countryside where the crops are often monofloral.

Well what a surprise.

We already know this. It's in the books. All the experienced beekeepers tell you this when you first start.

Why don't the scientific community spend the money on valid research - like finding a cure for varroa.
 
Heard a report tonight on PM on Radio 4 (sorry can't find a link to post)

Research at the University of Worcester has revealed that honey bees in urban environments produce more honey than those located in farmland. Apparently the range of flowers available in town gardens means there is more nectar then in farmed countryside where the crops are often monofloral.

Well what a surprise.

We already know this. It's in the books. All the experienced beekeepers tell you this when you first start.

Why don't the scientific community spend the money on valid research - like finding a cure for varroa.
http://www.birminghampost.net/news/...es-worcester-researchers-find-65233-27080219/
 
That report (link above) does not mention amounts, only the number of sources of pollen found in the honey. It says 'health', not productivity.

So how the local radio manage to transfer that information into something else, must mean a big misunderstanding or down-right journalistic trash.

Regards, RAB
 
Why don't the scientific community spend the money on valid research - like finding a cure for varroa.

Or better still the effects pesticides are having on the enviroment,we already have very simple methods to deal with varroa.
 
My wife came in tonight having heard this report and said just that "what a waste of money" and coupled with what I am hearing about this nonsense of duplication Frish's work re bee dance what a total waste of our cash.

Someone needs a good steer in the direction of what beekeeping research needs in the UK and to me it is far from what is being done.

PH
 
I once worked for a company where a colleague of mine was given a research project - materials sciene type thing. He found the results on the internet in 5mins.
 
Next there will be a research grant funded study, with the result that the varroa bug makes the bee do a waggle dance because it is trying to shake the bug off.
 
I hear there is a plan for a £1million pound research project to prove that bees make honey; and buzz a lot.
 
Why don't the scientific community spend the money on valid research - like finding a cure for varroa.

Or better still the effects pesticides are having on the enviroment,we already have very simple methods to deal with varroa.

Well Pete (or anyone), what studies would you like done exactly? What needs measured, tested, looked into?

Was/is this a sensible way to spend £10m or not?

http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/pollinators/

G.
 
I like the look of this one...

Unravelling the impact of the mite Varroa destructor on the interaction between the honeybee and its viruses (PDF 185KB)
Dr Eugene Ryabov, The University of Warwick

I am less interested in the rest.
 
I think perhaps research into the cocktail effect of all the different chemicals/pesticides could be having on bee's. Like the 118 or so different one's found in some hives.

Brood nest wax and foundations, beebread and trapped pollen, and adult bees and
brood comprising 749 samples contained 118 different pesticides and metabolites, 4894
total residues of which 748 were systemics, and averaged 6.5 detections per sample. In
the 259 wax samples (Table 1) 87 pesticides and metabolites were found with up to 39
different detections in a single sample, averaging 8 different pesticide residues each. In
the 350 pollen samples analyzed (Table 2), 98 pesticides and degradates were identified,
with up to 31 different pesticides found in a single sample, and samples averaged 7.1
different pesticide residues each. The analysis of bees resulted in fewer detections (Table
3), and averaged 2.5 residues per each of the 140 samples, with a maximum of 25 in one
sample. Only one of the wax, three pollen and 12 bee samples had no detectable
pesticides

http://mbka.info/documents/American Report.pdf
 
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Well Pete (or anyone), what studies would you like done exactly? What needs measured, tested, looked into

How about getting some hygienic lines going, they would help the situation with EFB and AFB and identifying VSH bees for the benefit of all beekeepers in the UK. The problem in the UK is that even though EU funding is available , NONE of this is given to the beekeepers themselves, but it is used to carry out research, or if you like, pay the wages and costs of iffy research projects that are of little or no use to beekeepers from a practical point of view.

In some other EU countries beekeepers receive up to 60% for the purchase of equipment, buildings for honey processing, upkeep of hives, purchase of queens and even purchase of a new vehicle for transporting hives and Varroa control.

Best regards
Norton.
:beatdeadhorse5:
 
Bees buzz?

I thought that was my bloody tinitus!!:dupe:
 
Thanks Repwoc.

Rather consigns this thread to the dustbin. Mis-reported. Audio clip mimics the written report precisely. Too much read into something they did not hear (PeterS!)? Project possibly seems quite worthwhile to me, but has, so far, only confirmed what we (all?) understand is the situation from simple observation.

Must say, it does happen a lot.

------------------------------

1) "These are interesting early findings, seemingly backing what we've suspected for a while - namely that bees today often fare better in urban environments than in contemporary farmland."

2) 10 National Trust beehives....of 45 involved.

3) investigating if there is any link between pollen and the health of the bees.


Three snippets above demonstrate clearly they are not making/not made any conclusions from the work thus far. 1) The use of the word 'seemingly', 2) only results from less than a quarter of the sample and 3) a clear summary of the project aim.

Absolutely no connection with the 'headline' to this thread.

RAB
 
My preferred research would be into how effective and accurate the Pesticides Safety Directorate is in its evaluation of products in relation to bees.
 
only confirmed what we (all?) understand is the situation from simple observation.

We are but mere mortals... We know nothink...

During the war members of the public were asked to take notes of every day life, to make observations and submit these "letters" to the goverment.

Perhaps a similar system involving the people who actaully have behives as opposed to a couple of post graduates with a jar full of bees in a lab, would produce a more realistic appraisal of the bee situation......the every day facts and figures to help research.

Common denominators perhaps?

Unleaded petrol? Fence paint? Greenfly spray? Did bees prefer pollution because it built up a natural resistance...? No free school milk? Do bees thrive in areas with no motorways? Dutch Elm desease?
 
Did you note the critical aspect of that report though Hivemaker, it is American research.

I fail to see the crossover directly to us as our authorised chemicals are different, and so are the managements of both land and bees.


PH
 
That is the point....it is American research....and we are talking uk research...so why can we not do this kind of research in the uk...like spirotetramat,which was banned in the USA...could be harmful to bee's,but we then allow it in the UK.
 
Heard a report tonight on PM on Radio 4 (sorry can't find a link to post)

Research at the University of Worcester has revealed that honey bees in urban environments produce more honey than those located in farmland. Apparently the range of flowers available in town gardens means there is more nectar then in farmed countryside where the crops are often monofloral.

Well what a surprise.

We already know this. It's in the books. All the experienced beekeepers tell you this when you first start.

Why don't the scientific community spend the money on valid research - like finding a cure for varroa.

Every year I help 2-3 Msc and Phd students with their research projects which they 'normally' have allocated by their universities.
Many of the projects are interesting but in general are repeating work that has already been done but not 'properly reported.
I must admit that I often say they are researching the bleeding obvious!
Cheers
S
 

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