Changing climes

Climate change is a very slow process, notoriously difficult to understand. Is it happening in India? Residents of some Himalayan towns, where …

What's in your honey?

Ayurveda prescribes it for a range of ailments. People eat it for rejuvenation and boosting immunity. An Indian homemaker’s kitchen shelf …

World Bee Day 2021: Why do bees fascinate us?

Three out of four crops producing fruits or seeds depend, at least in part, on pollinators. They are the key to our food security as well as to …

Is air pollution contributing to the ‘insect apocalypse’? Yes, experts tell DTE

Pollutants affect certain insects more than others; they can kill them or mess with their  ability to sniff flowers, lowering pollination …

Nigeria becomes fourth African nation to join global coalition to protect pollinators

Even as pollinator populations are declining globally, data about them, especially in the developing world, is insufficient

Early to wake is neither healthy nor wise for bumblebees

Climate change affecting hibernation for the pollinators in North America, finds study; impact on human agriculture  

Pollinator Sanctuary: A new sustainable solution model from Canada

The concept could not only help in providing forage, shelter and nesting places for local bees and birds, but also play a pivotal role in …

Book Excerpt: As bee populations continue to fall, we are heading for serious trouble

Ranjit Lal's new book on bees and other insects talks about these unusual creatures with humour and understanding

Rare bee found after 100 years, but under pressure to survive: Study

Land fragmentation, climate change and wildfires pose threat to the remaining invertebrate species

Not only honey bees, native bees may also be facing a ‘pandemic’: Scientists

The extent of pathogen impact on solitary bees is unknown, but it is crucial as they comprise majority of the approximately 20,000 bee species on …

‘Jewel of nature’: Scientists fight to save a glittering green bee after the summer fires

Last summer’s catastrophic bushfires significantly increased the risk of local extinctions of this magnificent species

Could wildflowers and bug hotels help avert an insect apocalypse?

Enthusiasm for sowing wildflowers and building bug refuges rarely extends to ongoing upkeep and long-term monitoring

Bees enter US endangered species list for the first time

Urbanisation, competition with non-native species and natural disasters are prime reasons for the decline of seven types of bees native to Hawaii

Book Digest: Dispatches from 40 forgotten civilisations, Wuhan under lockdown and more

From stories of wildlife in unforeseen form to rise of environmental illnesses, DTE tracks new, contemporary books on environment and …

Why do conservationists hide when the bees dwindle?

It’s time the country’s policymakers and researchers turned their attention to insect-benefitting agriculture

Book notice: Indigenous Honeybees of the Himalayas

Nepal's native honeybees are an acknowledged vital cog in maintaining the region's biodiversity, as they naturally pollinate an assortment of …

A taste of honey

For the small farmer, beekeeping is the new buzzword, as honey presents itself as an alternative source of income

Apple orchardists in Himachal worry after unseasonal rain and snow kill Italian honeybees

Apple, stone fruit growers rent Italian bees from apiarists for pollination of their crops in April

Why bees? Why honey?

CSE’s probe is not just about honey or its adulteration; it is about the ‘nature’ of the business of future food

Pollinator Week: Why we need to protect the bees and the butterflies

Around 40% of invertebrate pollinator species — particularly bees and butterflies — face extinction across the world, warns FAO

US beekeepers lost 40% honey bee colonies in a year: Survey

Beekeepers lost 37.7 per cent colonies during the winter, between April 2018 and April 2019 — the highest winter decline in the last 13 …

Ten years after the crisis, what is happening to the world's bees?

Now we know much more about Colony Collapse Disorder, raising hopes that we can turn bees' fortunes around

Fall of the bees

Population of bees, the main pollinators of food crops, is declining. This can constrain food supply, warns a UN report

Adulteration of honey with sugar syrup most pressing threat: Beekeepers

Beekeepers from a number of states spoke said they were losing jobs due to honey aduleterated with sugar syrups being sold in the market

How do you vaccinate a honeybee? 6 questions answered about a new tool for protecting pollinators

Honeybees face many urgent threats, including Varroa mites, climate change and poor nutrition, which makes this vaccine an exciting new development