Research 2019

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9th August 2019

Interim report from project by Nicholas Balfour, Maria Clara Castellanos and Dave Goulson at Sussex University, which BBKA gave funding to in December 2018.

Creation of a Pollinator-Plant Interaction Database

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13th June 2019

In July 2018 CEH launched the National Honey Monitoring Scheme (NHMS) which aims to work with both amateur and professional beekeepers across the UK to measure long term changes in the pollen content of honey.

By plant DNA barcoding the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology are able to provide detailed analysis of the floral resources used by bees during honey production. It is anticipated that these data over extended time frames could provide a better understanding of the factors that impact honeybee populations.

Here is the presentation first given at the BBKA 2019 convention, showing the first results generated from the NHMS; focussing on species richness both regionally and nationally. Further, how these compare to land use data collected by colleagues across CEH.

Finally, there is an introduction to other work being undertaken at CEH; and centred around pollinators and bee health

Put together by Dr Anna Oliver, CEH.

30th September 2019

Update from the National Honey Monitoring Scheme

Dear Beekeepers,

On behalf of the National Honey Monitoring Scheme team at CEH (Centre for Ecology & Hydrology), I would like to say a big thank you to those who have returned honey samples to us. We have had over 500 back this year so far (see below), which is amazing!  I hope it has been a good season for all.

Table: Number of samples returned between March and September 2019; according to NUTS1 statistical regions and including Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

As we have had over 750 sample pack requests, I would again like to remind those of you who wish to participate this year to return your samples as soon as possible. Our cut-off date for 2019 is 30^th November - any samples returned after the 30th will be archived only; no pollen analysis will be done.  Further, no new 2019 sample packs will be sent out after the 31^st October 2019. Any requests will be kept on file and packs sent out next March, ready for NHMS 2020.

As you can imagine Ujala and I are busy in the lab processing your honey samples. In the next newsletter we will provide details of progress. However, I would like to say we are on track to provide results for the first 350 samples before the end of the year. Watch this space!

 If you have any further questions please email [email protected].

Best wishes,

Dr Anna Oliver
Molecular Biologist, NHMS

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11th June 2019

Can your bees stand heavy metal?
 

Not the music, but metal contaminants in the environment! Toxic metals enter the environment through many sources and can be taken up by plants and transferred to nectar and pollen, or deposited directly on to flowers. Consequently, bees are exposed to these metals.

At the University of Reading, we are investigating the exposure of bees to heavy metals through pollen and nectar. We plan to measure the metals in pollen samples from across the country and investigate whether there are any differences between urban and rural environments in terms of exposure.

Are you interested in knowing what’s in the pollen your bees are collecting? If so, then we would be happy to receive a sample and analyse it for you. We only need 1.5 grams of pollen, which can be collected from pollen traps in the hive. In addition to the pollen, we would also like to test honey. All the materials and detailed instructions you will need to collect and send the samples will be sent to you by us, together with a short questionnaire. All information collected will be stored securely and anonymised. Your results will be sent back to you together with an information sheet explaining them.

If you are interested in knowing more about what your bees are exposed to, please get in touch with your name and contact details, and we will send you an information pack.

Carlos García Vargas | NERC-funded PhD Student
[email protected]

Dr John Hammond | Principal Research Fellow
[email protected]

Centre for Agri-Environmental Research
University of Reading
School of Agriculture, Policy and Development
Earley, Reading RG6 6BZ

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8th April 2019

PoshBee aims to support healthy bee populations, sustainable beekeeping and pollination across Europe. It is a 5 year project (2018-2023) with 42 partners from 14 European countries, including UK. 

Click the logo above for more information.

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4th April 2019

Would you be interested in being part of a study looking at the impact of air pollution on bees? The Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience at Coventry University is researching whether bee physiology is affected by the particulates in air pollution. The researchers are looking for beekeepers across the country who would be willing to send a small number of bees and hive products to be analysed. If you are interested please contact: Dr Barbara Smith [email protected]

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4th April 2019

UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme - appeal to members to please volunteer

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1st April 2019

Winter Colony Survival Survey '18/19

The annual survey by the BBKA has been running year-on-year since 2007. It aims to determine its members' honey bee colony survival and to understand the causes of success and failures in overwinter colony survival. The survey is open between 1st- 30th April

Please follow this link through to the 5 minute survey

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20th March 2019

The University of Plymouth in partnership with B4 (a community interest company: Bringing Back Black Bees) and funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) have started a 4 year PhD project to investigate suggestions from bee-keepers that different sub-species have a suite of different behaviours and characteristics in comparison to other sub-species, and further that these might be highly regional in their nature.

The project will measure these differences, and match those with genetic signatures to confirm the lineage of bees showing different traits. It also aims to identify the parts of the genome that might be under rapid change in these sub-species.

While some of the trait differences might be well-established in the bee-keeping community, to date published, robust empirical evidence is lacking. The kinds of traits that we’re interested in gathering data on are, for example, drone brood timings, worker brood cycle, and thriftiness. We will investigate these traits using a bee keeping survey. 

The pictures below are of black bees and Italian bees. 

The survey has been designed in collaboration with bee-keepers and tries to get as much detail as possible whilst at the same time being practical and feasible for bee-keepers to complete. It will require you to measure and record specific parameters throughout the season, some of which you would be completed as part of your usual routine.

We need as many people to fill in the survey as possible and the project relies on the bee keeping community for its success. The survey is open to all bee keepers regardless of the sub-species you keep.

This is your opportunity to be part of scientific research on honey bees. There will be regular updates and feedback on the project as it unfolds.

If you are interested in taking part in the survey please email your name to [email protected] in addition to the email address there is a Facebook group entitled “University Of Plymouth Beekeepers Survey 2019”.

Many Thanks,

Victoria Buswell