Reading Time: 2 minutes New app which southern Alberta farmer helped design helps those in the pollination industry navigate work schedules and chemical safety
Getting industries on the same page
Southern Alberta farmer making his way into world of technological software with new app for pollinators
Alberta honey business ‘thrives’ despite bumpy beginnings
Thrive Honey shows synergy using the power of bees for honey making and agriculture pollination
Reading Time: 4 minutes Thrive Honey showcases its honey production in market where Alberta produces 40 per cent of all honey produced in the country.
Pollinators play a crucial role in Alberta
Beelieve it? Bees of all kinds play a crucial role in Alberta’s economy and landscape
Reading Time: 4 minutes Bees: Unsung heroes of our food system. Learn how they contribute billions to Canada’s economy, boost crop yields, and impact human nutrition. University of Lethbridge research reveals the crucial role of diverse bee species.
COMMENT: How honeybees can help us monitor pollution across Canada
The honey produced by the tireless work of the honeybee is nothing short of an untapped goldmine of environmental data that could help us better understand the spread of environmental pollutants.
Weighing the benefit-risk balance on field edges
Researchers hope to weigh both agricultural value and risk from field boundaries like ditches and shelterbelts
Reading Time: 3 minutes Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researchers in Saskatchewan hope to weigh both agricultural value and risk from field boundaries like ditches and shelterbelts.
Neonicotinoids, reducing bee mortality are priorities for new research chair
Bees produce billions in benefits for Prairie farmers but they face a host of challenges
Reading Time: 4 minutes Pollinators and beekeepers on the Prairies have a new champion — the first-ever research chair concentrating on the health of these essential workers in fields and pastures. “I’ll be focused on improving honeybee health to improve sustainable agriculture,” said Dr. Sarah Wood, an associate professor of veterinary pathology at the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College […] Read more
Washington state eradicates first ‘murder hornet’ nest of the year
Nest found in northwestern county near B.C. border
Reuters — Washington state eradicated its first Asian giant hornet nest of the year by vacuuming out 113 worker hornets and removing bark and decayed wood near the nest, Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) officials said Thursday. The so-called stinging “murder hornets,” the world’s largest hornets, can grow to five centimetres in length and […] Read more
Native pollinators want to be your buddies
Some simple things can make your land more attractive to pollinators
Reading Time: 4 minutes There’s no denying that native pollinators are important — and there are things you can do to encourage these keystone species to come live on your land. Native pollinators are critical for forages and crops, agroforestry specialist Luke Wonneck said during a recent Foothills Forage and Grazing Association webinar. “Pollination is plant sex. Because plants […] Read more
Bees cannot live on canola and alfalfa alone
‘Agriculture blooms for one month a year’ and so maintaining pockets of natural food sources is critical
Reading Time: 2 minutes Cropland’s encroachment on nature threatens to starve bees and pollinators, says beekeeper Ian Steppler. “Where we find a balance within our countryside between agriculture and nature is where we find tremendous growth and prosperity,” said Steppler, a crops and cattle producer in Manitoba who has 1,500 hives and produces over 250,000 pounds of honey per […] Read more
Environmental threats put bumblebee queens under pressure
Insecticide exposure and declining floral diversity are jeopardizing key pollinator group
Reading Time: < 1 minute Spring is a busy time for bumblebee queens. After emerging from hibernation, their to-do list includes making nests, laying eggs, and keeping their larvae warm and fed. It’s physiologically demanding, and the stakes are high: the success of the colony depends on a queen. In a recent study, researchers at the University of California Riverside […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
