Honey is a natural sweetener and its many different varieties are available based on the hundreds of different flowers and plants frequented by bees. Raw manuka honey is made from the tea tree bush native to New Zealand and it has a dark color and robust flavor. Among the many advantages of raw manuka honey…
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The Genome of T. mercedesae Researchers have been looking into the genome sequence of mites, specifically the Tropilaelaps mercedesae, to understand their interaction with honeybees and how to best mitigate their ability to harm honeybee colonies. By studying their genomes, researchers are trying to discover how these mites control their hosts. Understanding this mite’s genome…
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Pathogen Patterns By studying the genes of honeybees, scientists may one day better comprehend the diseases and viruses that affect them, specifically how their genes resist. “In the past decade, honeybee populations have experienced severe and persistent losses across the Northern Hemisphere, mainly due to the effects of pathogens, such as fungi and viruses,” says…
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A honeybee hive’s natural environment determines the color, consistency, and flavor of the honey within it. Simply put, honey has terroir, defined as the characteristic taste and flavor imparted to wine by the environment in which it’s made. Anthony Hamilton Russell, who owns the Hamilton Russell Vineyards in South America, directly compares honey to wine because…
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Manuka Investment Landowners in New Zealand are getting the chance to become a part of the successful Manuka honey industry, with the offer of Manuka seedlings by the millions. Greg Palmer and Mark Struthers, manager and owner of Nga Rakau Nurseries respectively, are offering high performance seedlings to landowners who are interested in investing, which…
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The Celebrity Hedgehog Leslie Dowling, who hails from South Woodham Ferrers, received a call from a family member about a hedgehog running around. Her husband’s Aunt Pauline, who had just had major heart surgery, was forced to spend a lot of time at home. One morning, just outside her bedroom door, Pauline noticed the little…
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Whether you need them to cool down or treat yourself after a workout, here are four healthy Popsicle recipes that will help you just when you need them most! These delicious treats are bound to please any crowd without the sugary crash, and they are easy enough to make if you’re in need of something…
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The Decision Aid System The Decision Aid System (DAS), which Washington tree fruit farmers use to predict when tree fruit will blossom, the best fruit size, and the best bee foraging times, is being updated and tested this year by Washington State University (WSU), which came up with the system in the first place. This…
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Writer, Farmer, Parent As a writer and a farmer in the Kaihoka area of New Zealand, Joyce Wyllie has a full schedule. In the column she writes for a Kaihoka paper, Wyllie answered the question most people asked her, which is, “What do you do out there in the country?” During the late summer season,…
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Caring for a Hedgehog Hedgehogs are generally healthy and overall easy pets to take care of—and to love of course. They tend to experience few problems and, being as small as they are, take up very little space. While a hedgehog is a simple pet when it comes to pet care, there are a few…
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The Jetai Bee While stingless bees are without stingers, they still have ways to protect themselves. The Jetai bee, a bee species that originates from Brazil, is a great example. The Jetai bees have their own guard bees, which are larger and protect the entrance. These bees remain at the nest’s entrance in order to…
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Not only are bees a key component of our ecosystem, but they’re also extremely intelligent. Specifically, bumblebees have demonstrated an aptitude for learning various activities, including sports. In a recently published study by Science, researchers from London’s Queen Mary University discovered that bees can learn complex tasks we never would have expected—like playing soccer. The team…
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At the end of a long day, a bowl of flavored popcorn can be one of the best, simplest treats to reward yourself with for a hard day’s work or just a busy day in general. It’s a great snack for any occasion, and most movie nights just aren’t complete without it. While classic butter…
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For as long as can be remembered, mites have been a threat to honeybees and their colonies, and these mites include the parasitic Tropilaelaps mercedesae. Research recently published in GigaScience has revealed the genome of the T. mercedesae has been greatly affected by its interaction with honeybees. The research was done by a team at…
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It’s a well known fact that horses can be easily startled. One ranch horse named Gunner, after being startled by a pair of bunnies, kicked into a guardrail and tore his hind leg to the bone. Gunner’s veterinarian, Andrea Arbuckle, began to look for ways to help treat the horse’s wound safely. “In the process…
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In an effort to give bees the space they need to roam and gather pollen, Cedar Rapids, Iowa is setting aside 1,000 acres of land. During this spring season, at least 188 acres are being seeded with native prairie grasses and wildflower plants, which should prevent invasive weeds while nourishing pollinators. The project has secured…
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Dawn and Mariah Barnett, a mother and daughter duo from Kohala, Hawaii, are helping to save the honeybee population and protect it from being placed on the Endangered Species list, a designation honeybees have been heading for for over a decade. “It’s been about a 30-45 percent honeybee loss yearly in the U.S.,” as per…
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As seasons change, individuals may find themselves taking a blow right to the immune system since, sometimes, the weather changes faster than the body can recover. Most of us cannot afford to get sick for days or weeks at a time, so many tend to venture toward home remedies and over the counter medicine. Unfortunately,…
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For those who love breakfast more than any other meal of the day—and love trying new things for themselves or their family—these homemade waffles with honey cream and grilled peaches are a surefire way to start the day off right. Using homemade, subtly orange-scented batter, specialized and sweetened cream (thanks to Manuka honey), and deliciously…
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Recently, a group of scientists figured out a form of communication among bees, having decoded a bit of honeybee speech, and they believe the word being buzzed by the bees is “whoop.” Per a study in the journal PLOS One, Nottingham Trent University (NTU) researchers discovered how a specific honeybee vibrational signal, which was long…
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While cats are largely low maintenance pets and can usually take care of themselves well, there are cases typical health that not even the most resilient cats can avoid. As good pet owners, it goes a long way to be able to spot the signs of common health problems in cats and know how to…
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Even though they are so important for our survival and success as a species, we do not really know much about how honeybees originated to begin with. However, a new study by researchers from the University of California, Davis and UC Berkeley have focused on the origin of honeybees in the hopes of finding a…
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