Land conversion and pesticide use degrade forage areas for honey bees in America's beekeeping epicenter.

A diverse range of threats have been associated with managed-bee declines globally. Recent increases of two known threats, land-use change and pesticide use, have resulted from agricultural expansion and intensification notably in the top honey-producing state in the United States: North Dakota. This study investigated the dual threat from land conversion and pesticide use surrounding ~14,000 registered apiaries in North Dakota from 2001 to 2014. We estimated the annual total insecticide use (kg) on major crops within 1.6 km of apiary sites. Of the eight insecticides quantified, six showed significant increasing trends over the time period. Specifically, applications of the newly established neonicotinoids Chlothianidin, Imidacloprid and Thiamethoxam, increased annually by 1329 kg, 686 kg, 795 kg, respectively. Also, the use of Chlorpyrifos, which was well-established in the state by 2001 and is highly toxic to honey bees, increased by ~8,800 kg annually from 6,500 kg in 2001 to 115,000 kg in 2014 on corn, soybeans and wheat. We further evaluated the relative quality changes of natural/semi-natural land covers surrounding apiaries in 2006, 2010 and 2014, a period of significant increases in cropland area. In areas surrounding apiaries, we observed changes in multiple indices of forage quality that reflect the deteriorating landscape surrounding registered apiary sites due to land-use change and pesticide-use increases. Overall, our results suggest that the application of foliar-applied insecticides, including pyrethroids and one organophosphate, increased surrounding apiaries when the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments surged and the area for producing corn and soybeans expanded. Spatially, these threats were most pronounced in southeastern North Dakota, a region hosting a high density of apiary sites that has recently experienced corn and soybean expansion. Our results highlight the value of natural and semi-natural land covers as sources of pollinator forage and refugia for bees against pesticide exposure. Our study provides insights for targeting conservation efforts to improve forage quality benefiting managed pollinators.

Investigation of mad honey use as an alternative treatment in patients admitted to the pulmonary clinic: Ordu, Turkey example

Abstract This study assessed mad honey use in alternative treatments. The universe of this descriptive study was patients admitted to the pulmonary disease clinic located in the Ordu province of the Black Sea region between 15 December 2014 and 15 February 2015. We did not use a sampling method and patients who agreed to participate were included in the study (n=353). In order to collect the data, we used a questionnaire prepared by the researchers. In this study, 77% of the participants stated that mad honey was beneficial to health, 44.5% used mad honey, and 53.5% consumed it daily. Furthermore, 28.7% used mad honey for asthma, 6.4% for cough, 12.1% for gastrointestinal diseases, and 3.2% for hypertension. There was a significant relationship between the gender, family structure, age, and chronic disease status of participants and the status of consuming mad honey (p<0.05). In this study, participants used mad honey for asthma, gastrointestinal diseases, hypertension, and cough. Health professionals should provide training and counseling on the health effects and risks of mad honey to improve public health.

Honey promotes angiogeneic activity in the rat aortic ring assay.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate possible effects of honey on angiogenesis, using in vitro analogues of angiogenesis and an endothelial proliferation assay. METHOD: Using an in vitro rat aortic ring assay we compared pseudotubule formation by medicinal honey (Activon), supermarket honey (Rowse) and a honey-based ointment (Mesitran), with that of artificial honey (70% w/w sugar glucose/fructose). Pseudotubules were analysed using TCS Cellworks AngioSys software. The Angiokit sytem was used to validate the results. Using the MTT [3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium. Bromide] assay, toxicity was also assessed on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) directly adherent to plastic. RESULTS: All honey preparations stimulated pseudotubule formation, maximal at around 0.2% honey. Medicinal honeys were more active than Rowse. The effect was not attributable to the sugar content. Among the honeys tested, the Manuka-based Activon preparation reduced residual viable biomass compared with a sugar control at > 0.32% v/v concentration. Rowse had a similar effect only at 2.5%, the highest dose tested. CONCLUSION: The influence of honey constituents on angiogenesis in a wound dressing context is likely to be positive, but would depend on the effective dilution of the honey and the penetration of the active constituents against an osmotic gradient. The extent to which this occurs has yet to be established. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: This work was conceived, designed and executed by the authors. Medical honey preparations were supplied unconditionally but free of charge by the distributors.

Influence of pollen diet in spring on development of honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies.

The effects of changes in spring pollen diet on the development of honey bee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), colonies were examined in a 3-yr study (2002-2004). Pollen-supplemented and pollen-limited conditions were created in colonies every spring, and brood rearing and honey yields were subsequently monitored throughout the summer. In all 3 yr, colonies that were supplemented with pollen or a pollen substitute in the spring started rearing brood earlier than colonies in other treatment groups and produced the most workers by late April or early May. In 2002, these initial differences were reflected by a two-fold increase in annual honey yields by September for colonies that were pollen-supplemented during the spring compared with pollen-limited colonies. In 2003 and 2004, differences between treatment groups in the cumulative number of workers produced by colonies disappeared by midsummer, and all colonies had similar annual honey yields (exception: in one year, productivity was low for colonies supplemented with pollen before wintering). Discrepancies between years coincided with differences in spring weather conditions. Colonies supplemented with pollen or a substitute during the spring performed similarly in all respects. These results indicate that an investment in supplementing the pollen diet of colonies would be returned for situations in which large spring populations are important, but long-term improvement in honey yields may only result when spring foraging is severely reduced by inclement weather. Beekeepers should weigh this information against the nutritional deficiencies that are frequently generated in colonies by the stresses of commercial management.