BELLINGHAM, Wash. — There was a buzz in the air Friday in northwestern Washington state as about 250 million honeybees escaped a commercial truck that overturned.
Pictured: Bees congregate around their queen. Wealth of Geeks
Insecticides in recent years have come under fire for being toxic to humans and animals, as well as having unintended consequences for other insects.
For example, Fipronil is a broad-spectrum chemical insecticide that disrupts the insect central nervous system. It’s generally used to control ants, beetles, cockroaches, fleas, ticks, and termites. In 2018, it was confirmed that Fipronil is highly toxic to bees and that, when used, it contaminates the pollen they collect.
Other severe threats to colonies include African and yellow-legged hornets – sometimes referred to as “murder hornets” — as well as several species of mites and numerous bacterium.
Although honey bees have seen a slight resurgence, their numbers are still down significantly. Native bees, responsible for most of the pollinating, have not seen this recovery.
Biologists have stepped in. They’re actively breeding bees exhibiting more resistance to the major factors responsible for the species’ decline.
Lanie Bilodeau, research leader at Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research lab in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, explains. “We are breeding honey bees that are more efficient at processing nutrients in their food and are more resistant to pests, pathogens and pesticides. … Developing healthier and more productive honey bee colonies will help ease the effects of disease and climate change, and improve the food supply at local, national and global scales.”
