I write a monthly column in American Bee Journal called “Notes from the Lab: The Latest Bee Science Distilled,” which reaches ~15,000 ABJ subscribers. Each month, I summarize a recent pollinator health paper from the primary literature for a non-scientific audience. The goal is to make the emerging pollinator health science more approachable and relevant to beekeepers and the public. American Bee Journal has allowed us to re-post the articles here. Click on the links below to see a PDF of each article:
January 2025: Managing Tropilaelaps via cultural and chemical controls. Summary of Tokach et al. 2024 [Scientific Reports]. American Bee Journal 165(1):69-71. pdf
December 2024: Pesticide use is a major driver of continent-wide declines of hundreds of wild bee species in the USA. Summary of Guzman et al. 2024 [Nature Sustainability]. American Bee Journal 164(12):1351-1353. pdf
October 2024: Honey bees do half of crop pollination, while other insects do the other half. Summary of Reilly et al. 2024 [Global Ecology & Biogeography]. American Bee Journal 164(10):1119-1121. pdf
September 2024: A fungicide commonly used during crop pollination is acutely toxic to honey bee larvae. Summary of De Souza et al. 2024 [Scientific Reports]. American Bee Journal 164(9):971-974. pdf
August 2024: Varroa treatments that work in fall, winter, spring, and summer. Summary of Jack et al. 2024 [Journal of Apicultural Research]. American Bee Journal 164(8):851-853. pdf
July 2024: EFB and AFB in the USA: Trends between 2015 and 2022. Summary of Alburaki et al. 2024 [Journal of Apicultural Research]. American Bee Journal 164(7):757-759. pdf
June 2024: How stingless bees pass along their culture. Summary of Di Pietro et al. 2024 [Current Biology]. American Bee Journal 164(6):635-638. pdf
May 2024: Should beekeepers rough up their hive bodies to promote propolis? Summary of Shanahan et al. 2024 [Plos One]. American Bee Journal 164(5):507-510. pdf
April 2024: Varroa and Tropilaelaps feed primarily on honey bee hemolymph when they reproduce. Summary of Han et al. 2024 [Nature Communications]. American Bee Journal 164(4):413-415. pdf
March 2024: New bee-friendly restrictions on neonicotinoid insecticides in New York … and a barrier to further progress on this topic in the USA. American Bee Journal 164(3):305-310. pdf
February 2024: Pesticides are currently harming bees across Europe. Summary of Nicholson et al. 2023 [Nature]. American Bee Journal 164(2):197-200. pdf
January 2024: How to make pesticides safer for bees. Summary of Fisher et al. 2023 [BioScience]. American Bee Journal 164(1):57-60. pdf
December 2023: A promising new antiviral therapeutic for honey bees. Summary of Fellows et al. 2023 [Virology Journal]. American Bee Journal 163(12):1313-1315. pdf
November 2023: What can be learned during varroa’s establishment in Australia? Summary of Chapman et al. 2023 [Biology Letters]. American Bee Journal 163(11):1205-1207. pdf
October 2023: The social implications of treating floral resources as a common good. Summary of Mouillard-Lample et al. 2023 [Ecosystem Services]. American Bee Journal 163(10):1135-1137. pdf
September 2023: Tropical stingless bees can pick up disease from sick honey bees. Summary of Fleites-Ayil et al. 2023 [Biological Conservation]. American Bee Journal 163(9):1007-1009. pdf
August 2023: Farmers should think beyond the farm to maximize crop pollination by honey bees. Summary of Eeraerts et al. 2023 [Landscape Ecology]. American Bee Journal 163(8):847-849. pdf
July 2023: Strips of prairie wildflowers improve colony health in corn- & soybean-dominated landscapes. Summary of Zhang et al. 2023 [Journal of Applied Ecology]. American Bee Journal 163(7):785-787. pdf
May 2023: Are all bees created equal when it comes to pesticide risk? Summary of Knapp et al. 2023 [Nature Ecology & Evolution]. American Bee Journal 163(5):553-555. pdf
April 2023: Too many honey bees can interfere with native wildflower reproduction. Summary of Page & Williams 2023 [Ecology]. American Bee Journal 163(4):421-423. pdf
March 2023: A sunflower medicine to combat varroa? Summary of Palmer-Young et al. 2022 [Journal of Economic Entomology]. American Bee Journal 163(3):319-321. pdf
February 2023: Social bees fly farther for food. Summary of Grüter & Hayes 2022 [Current Biology]. American Bee Journal 163(2):209-211. pdf
December 2022: Honey bees practice social distancing when infested with varroa. Summary of Pusceddu et al. 2021 [Science Advances]. American Bee Journal 162(12):1305-1307. pdf
November 2022: Bees forage more in apple orchards when they aren’t in bloom compared to when they are. Summary of Steele et al. 2022 [Ecosphere]. American Bee Journal 162(11):1193-1195. pdf
October 2022: Watching pollinator declines in real time in Pennsylvania? Summary of Turley et al. 2022 [Ecology and Evolution]. American Bee Journal 162(10):1131-1133. pdf
September 2022: When do honey bees compete with native wild bees? Part 2. Summary of Weaver et al. 2022 [Conservation and Diversity]. American Bee Journal 162(9):1025-1027. pdf
August 2022: How climate, weather, and land use shape colony productivity in the Northcentral USA. Summary of Quinlan et al. 2022 [Environmental Research Letters]. American Bee Journal 162(8):915-917. pdf
July 2022: Harmful pesticide exposures during crop pollination come from beyond the farm. Summary of Graham et al. 2022 [Scientific Reports]. American Bee Journal 162(7):795-797. pdf
June 2022: Prospecting for plant toxins that will keep bees healthy. Summary of Palmer-Young et al. 2022 [Environmental Microbiology]. American Bee Journal 162(6):677-679. pdf
May 2022: Soybean yield increases when bee-friendly habitat is located next to fields. Summary of Levenson et al. 2022 [Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment]. American Bee Journal 162(5):535-537. pdf
April 2022: Almond growers should avoid using insecticides and adjuvants during bloom. Summary of Ricke et al. 2022 [Journal of Insect Science]. American Bee Journal 162(4):423-425. pdf
March 2022: When do honey bees compete with native wild bees? Part 1. Summary of Ropars et al. 2022 [Oikos]. American Bee Journal 162(3):325-327. pdf
February 2022: The origin and evolution of the western honey bee. Summary of Dogantzis et al. 2021 [Science Advances]. American Bee Journal 162(2):217-219. pdf
January 2022: Using fewer insecticides improves crop yield by increasing pollination by bees. Summary of Pecenka et al. 2021 [PNAS]. American Bee Journal 162(1):65-69. pdf
December 2021: How good are honey bees at pollinating compared to other pollinators? Summary of Page et al. 2021 [American Journal of Botany]. American Bee Journal 161(12):1317-1319. pdf
November 2021: Are virus-contaminated flowers surrounding your apiary getting wild bumble bees sick? Summary of Burnham et al. 2021 [J. Applied Ecol.]. American Bee Journal 161(11):1225-1227. pdf
October 2021: A glimpse into the architectural talents of honey bees. Summary of Smith et al. 2021 [PNAS]. American Bee Journal 161(10):1111-1113. pdf
September 2021: How Tropilaelaps mites reduce foraging efficiency of adult honey bees. Summary of Gao et al. 2021 [PLoS Pathogens]. American Bee Journal 161(9):981-984. pdf
August 2021: A new selective treatment for varroa that doesn’t harm other organisms. Summary of Krishnan et al. 2021 [PLoS One]. American Bee Journal 161(8):907-909. pdf
July 2021: What if we could make bees immune to pesticides? Summary of Chen et al. 2021 [Nature Food]. American Bee Journal 161(7):785-788. pdf
June 2021: Everyone’s getting vaccinated … Do honey bees run vaccination programs, too? Summary of Harwood et al. 2021 [Journal of Experimental Biology]. American Bee Journal 161(6):659-660. pdf
May 2021: A seven-year study assessing pesticide residues in bee bread throughout the United States. Summary of Traynor et al. 2021 [Environmental Pollution]. American Bee Journal 161(5):501-503. pdf
April 2021: The genealogy of honey bees in the United States. Summary of Carpenter & Harpur 2021 [Apidologie]. American Bee Journal 161(4):417-420. pdf
March 2021: A new high-throughput method to assess risk from pesticide co-exposures. Summary of Haas & Nauen 2020 [Environment International]. American Bee Journal 161(3):315-317. pdf
February 2021: Exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides can increase varroa infestations in your hives. Summary of Annoscia et al. 2020 [Nature Communications]. American Bee Journal 161(2):211-213. pdf
January 2021: If you overuse antibiotics on your bees, your colonies may fail due to inadequate gut microbes. Summary of Bulson et al. 2020 [Journal of Applied Ecology]. American Bee Journal 161(1):85-87. pdf
December 2020: Honey bees recognize their sisters because their gut microbes make them smell similar. Summary of Vernier et al. 2020 [Science Advances]. American Bee Journal 160(12):1359-1361. pdf
November 2020: Increasing use of land for crops in the United States negatively impacts wildlife while producing marginal benefits for farmers. Summary of Lark et al. 2020 [Nature Communications]. American Bee Journal 160(11):1237-1239. pdf
October 2020: There is currently a pollination shortfall in several major United States crops. Summary of Reilly et al. 2020 [Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B]. American Bee Journal 160(10):1135-1137. pdf
September 2020: Neonicotinoid insecticides: When there’s risk to bees, when there are economic benefits to users, and when there are viable replacements. Summary of Grout et al. 2020. American Bee Journal 160(9):1019-1022. pdf
August 2020: Should everyone feed their bees spirulina? Summary of Ricigliano et al. 2020 [Apidologie]. American Bee Journal 160(8):891-893. pdf
July 2020: Pre-bloom pesticide sprays in apple orchards — safe for bees? Summary of Heller et al. 2020 [Environmental Pollution]. American Bee Journal 160(7):787-789. pdf
June 2020: Is oxalic acid vaporization and/or brood interruption effective at controlling varroa?Summary of Jack et al. 2020 [Journal of Economic Entomology]. American Bee Journal 160(6):691-693. pdf
May 2020: No article due to COVID.
April 2020: Engineered gut microbes combat varroa and DWV in honey bees. Summary of Leonard et al. 2020 [Science]. American Bee Journal 160(4):421-423. pdf
March 2020: Pesticide residues are common in soils surrounding corn and soybean fields and are associated with fewer species of native bees. Summary of Main et al. 2019 [Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment]. American Bee Journal 160(3):301-303. pdf
February 2020: Midwestern corn and soy landscapes can be good for bees when native prairie habitat is included. Summary of Dolezal et al. 2019 [PNAS]. American Bee Journal 160(2):199-201. pdf
January 2020: Can probiotic supplements protect colonies from AFB? Summary of Daisley et al. 2019 [ISME Journal]. American Bee Journal 160(1):71-73. pdf
December 2019: When is pollinating almond actually profitable for beekeepers? Summary of DeGrandi-Hoffman et al. 2019 [Journal of Economic Entomology]. American Bee Journal 159(12):1325-1327. pdf
November 2019: Honey bees can remember the good times and the bad times. Summary of Traniello et al. 2019 [Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B]. American Bee Journal 159(11):1241-1242. pdf
October 2019: Crowded apiaries may not be bad for the health of your bees. Summary of Bartlett et al. 2019 [Journal of Applied Ecology]. American Bee Journal 159(10):1115-1117. pdf
September 2019: If you don’t control varroa, you’re probably making wild bees sick and reducing overall pollinator health in your community. Summary of Alger et al. 2019 [PLoS One]. American Bee Journal 159(9):1009-1011. pdf
August 2019: What will growers use if neonicotinoid insecticides are banned? Summary of Jactel et al. 2019 [Environment International]. American Bee Journal 159(8):883-884. pdf
July 2019: A roadmap for how to minimize pesticide risk to bees. Summary of Sponsler et al. 2019 [Science of the Total Environment]. American Bee Journal 159(7):791-793. pdf
June 2019: New evidence for large-scale pollinator declines in Britain. Summary of Powney et al. 2019 [Nature Communications]. American Bee Journal 159(6):683-685. pdf
May 2019: A pesticide success for bees pollinating almond. Summary of Wade et al. 2019 [Insects]. American Bee Journal 159(5):561-562. pdf
April 2019: It’s true: Varroa feeds on fat bodies, not hemolymph. Summary of Ramsey et al. 2019 [Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States]. American Bee Journal 159(4):443-445. pdf
March 2019: Fipronil pesticide as a suspect in historical mass mortalities of honey bees. Summary of Holder et al. 2018 [Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States 115:13033-13038]. American Bee Journal 159(3):281-282. pdf
February 2019: The importance of habitat to both native and managed bees. Summary of Evans et al. 2018 [Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment]. American Bee Journal 159(2):199-201. pdf
January 2019: The “controversy” surrounding pesticide risk to bees. American Bee Journal 159(1):87-90. Co-authored with Dan Wixted, Cornell Pesticide Management Education Program. pdf
December 2018: Summary of Stamets et al. 2018 [Scientific Reports]: “Extracts of polypore mushroom mycelia reduce viruses in honey bees.” American Bee Journal 158(12):1383-1385. pdf
November 2018: Summary of Nicholls et al. 2018 [Environmental Science and Technology]: “Monitoring neonicotinoid exposure for bees in rural and peri-urban areas of the U.K. during the transition from pre- to post-moratorium.” American Bee Journal 158(11):1279-1281. pdf
October 2018: Summary of Kent et al. 2018 [Frontiers in Genetics]: “Conservation genomics of the declining North American bumblebee Bombus terricola reveals inbreeding and selection on immune genes.” American Bee Journal 158(10):1169-1170. pdf
September 2018: Summary of Utzeri et al. 2018 [Scientific Reports]: “Entomological signatures in honey: an environmental DNA metabarcoding approach can disclose information on plant-sucking insects in agricultural and forest landscapes.” American Bee Journal 158(9):1063-1064. pdf
August 2018: Summary of Oddie et al. 2018 [Scientific Reports]: “Rapid parallel evolution overcomes global honey bee parasite.” American Bee Journal 158(8):937-938. pdf
July 2018: Summary of Fisher et al. 2018 [Journal of Economic Entomology]: “The effects of the insect growth regulators methoxyfenozide and pyriproxyfen and the acaricide bifenazate on honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) forager survival.” American Bee Journal 158(7):821-822. pdf
June 2018: Summary of Luchetti et al. 2018 [Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B]: “Nursing protects honey bee larvae from secondary metabolites of pollen.” American Bee Journal 158(6):701-702. pdf
May 2018: Summary of Bailes et al. 2018 [Biology Letters]: “First detection of bee viruses in hoverfly (syrphid) pollinators.” American Bee Journal 158(5):583-584. pdf
April 2018: Summary of Ziegelmann et al. 2018 [Scientific Reports]: “Lithium chloride effectively kills the honey bee parasite Varroa destructor by a systemic mode of action.” American Bee Journal 158(4):461-462. pdf
March 2018: Summary of Liao et al. 2017 [Scientific Reports]: “Behavioral responses of honey bees (Apis mellifera) to natural and synthetic xenobiotics in food.” American Bee Journal 158(3):333-334. pdf
February 2018: Summary of Lopez-Uribe et al. 2017 [Conservation Genetics]: “Higher immunocompetence is associated with higher genetic diversity in feral honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera).” American Bee Journal 158(2):203-204. pdf
January 2018: Summary of Hallmann et al. 2017 [Plos One]: “More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas.” American Bee Journal 158(1):53. pdf
December 2017: Summary of Mitchell et al. 2017 [Science]: “A worldwide survey of neonicotinoids in honey.” American Bee Journal 157(12):1283-1284. pdf