All together now: Geographically coordinated miticide treatment benefits honey bee health

All Together Now

THE mechanism by which anesthetics impair consciousness remains one of the most important unsolved mysteries of our specialty—if not of all science. Establishing causal links connecting molecular sites of action with cellular, network, and ultimately behavioral changes will be a formidable challenge. One important approach that can contribute to this effort is the use of mathematical models tha...

All together now.

In 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, and its recommendations have been backed by an aggressive implementation campaign. The Campaign for Action, launched by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and AARP, has formed coalitions in every state to move this work forward. Along with Nursing Outlook, the official j...

Factors Affecting Global Bee Health Honey Bee Health and Population Losses in Managed Bee Colonies

Honey Bee-Infecting Plant Virus with Implications on Honey Bee Colony Health

Honey bees are eusocial insects that are commercially managed to provide pollination services for agricultural crops. Recent increased losses of honey bee colonies (averaging 32% annually since 2006) are associated with the incidence and abundance of pathogens. In their study in mBio, J. L. Li et al. [mBio 5(1):e00898-13, 2014, doi:10.1128/mBio.00898-13] share their discovery that a plant virus...

Seasonal benefits of a natural propolis envelope to honey bee immunity and colony health.

Honey bees, as social insects, rely on collective behavioral defenses that produce a colony-level immune phenotype, or social immunity, which in turn impacts the immune response of individuals. One behavioral defense is the collection and deposition of antimicrobial plant resins, or propolis, in the nest. We tested the effect of a naturally constructed propolis envelope within standard beekeepi...