What changes can we make to our lives to deal with the economic and energy crises ahead? Have you already started making preparations? Got tips to share?
A previously unknown honeybee defence weapon against varroa and a potential new natural anaesthetic for humans.
Researchers have discovered that honeybees can bite as well as sting and that the bite contains a natural anaesthetic. The anaesthetic may not only help honeybees fend off pests such as wax moth and the parasitic varroa mite, but it also has great potential for use in human medicine.
The surprise findings discovered by a team of researchers from Greek and French organisations in collaboration with Vita (Europe) Ltd, the UK-based honeybee health specialist, will cause a complete re-thinking of honeybee defence mechanisms and could lead to the production of a natural, low toxicity local anaesthetic for humans and animals.
KEY FINDINGS
 Although bee declines can be attributed to multifarious causes, the use of neonicotinoids is increasingly held responsible for recent honeybee losses.
 Neonicotinoids show high acute toxicity to honeybees.
 Chronical exposure of honeybees to sub-lethal doses of neonicotinoids can also result in serious effects, which include a wide range of behavioural disturbances in bees, such as problems with flying and navigation, impaired memory and learning, reduced foraging ability, as well as reduction in breeding success and disease resistance.
 Recent scientific findings are urging to reassess the bee safety of approved uses of neonicotinoid insecticides at European level. A current review, carried out by the European Food Safety Authority EFSA (on behalf of the European Commission) will give new insights into this issue.
 As long as there are uncertainties concerning the effects of neonicotinoids on honey bees, the precautionary principle in accordance with the Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 should be applied when using neonicotinoids.
I don't suppose there is much food about except perhaps the last of the ivy flowers.
We do have, flowering today:
Bellis perenis Daisy
Capsella bursa-pastoris Shepherd's-purse
Cardamine flexuosa Wavy Bittercress
Lamium album White Dead Nettle
Lamium purpereum Purple Dead Nettle
Senecio vulgaris Groundsel
Stellaria media Common Chickweed
Veronica persica Common Speedwell
but these are all tiny things that hardly add up to a bee's meal, except for the dead nettles They could be useful.
I experience pleasure and pains, and pursue goals in service of them, so I cannot reasonably deny the right of other sentient agents to do the same - Steven Pinker
I worked in this area for several years, in my opinion the idea that is kind of exposure is a health hazard, for humans or bees, is junk. There has been a huge amount of research looking for relationships, especially in Scandinavia where the longest exposed populations are found. The epidemiological studies haven't found anything.
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