Latest Pollinators Stories
New York and Washington, DC Events Highlight Research Methodology on Amphibian Declines Implemented to Study Honey Bees NEW YORK, June 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit organization that focuses on local conservation and global health issues, announced this week at New York City and Washington, DC events the expansion of its programs to include the study of honey bee health. Leveraging the organization's independent scientific expertise, EcoHealth...
The glacier lily as it's called, is a tall, willowy plant that graces mountain meadows throughout western North America. It flowers early in spring, when the first bumblebees and hummingbirds appear. Or did. The lily, a plant that grows best on subalpine slopes, is fast becoming a hothouse flower. In Earth's warming temperatures, its first blooms appear some 17 days earlier than they did in the 1970s, scientists David Inouye and Amy McKinney of the University of Maryland and colleagues...
During the fall, hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies living in eastern North America fly up to 1,500 miles to the volcanic forests of Mexico to spend the winter, while monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains fly to the California coast. The phenomenon is both spectacular and mysterious: How do the insects learn these particular routes and why do they stick to them? A prevailing theory contends that eastern and western monarchs are genetically distinct, and that genetic...
Little brown bats are tiny creatures that fly through the night hunting insects that humans consider pests, zooming past trees in a wave of sleek brown fur. The 3.4 inch long bats, when not hunting insects in warmer months, hibernate in abandoned mines and caves during the winter. As peaceful as this image seems, a disease known as white-nose syndrome jeopardizes the little brown bat’s very survival. A groundbreaking method of tracking the little brown bat by using stable hydrogen...
Brett Smith for RedOrbit.com Instead of using visual cues or floral scents, some moths detect increases in humidity around flowers to see if it is worth further inspection, new research led by a University of Arizona entomologist has found. According to the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Martin von Arx of the University of Arizona has discovered a previously unknown sensory channel that is used in plant-animal interactions. "As creatures who...
As gardeners get busy filling tubs and borders with colorful bedding plants, scientists at the Universities of Cambridge and Bristol have discovered more about what makes flowers attractive to bees rather than humans. Published today in the British Ecological Society's journal Functional Ecology, their research reveals that Velcro-like cells on plant petals play a crucial role in helping bees grip flowers – especially when the wind gets up. The study focuses on special cells found on the...
Have you heard the latest buzz? A species of bumblebee once thought to be extinct is now being reintroduced to the UK countryside. According to a report from the BBC, the short-haired bumblebee, or Bombus subterraneus to those in the know, once thrived in the UK just south of England before vanishing in 1988. Recently, a healthy colony of the bumblebee was found in Sweden, allowing conservationists to seed a new colony in their original homestead. Now, about 50 queen short-haired...
A new study led by scientists in the Department of Biology at the University of York has shown how a butterfly has changed its diet, and consequently has sped northwards in response to climate change. Their study is published in the latest issue of Science. The researchers found that warmer summers have allowed the Brown Argus butterfly to complete its life cycle by eating wild Geranium plants. Because the Geraniums are widespread in the British countryside, this change in diet has...
University of Florida lepidopterist Andrei Sourakov has spent his life’s work studying moths and butterflies. But it was his teenage daughter, Alexandra, who led research on how color impacts butterflies’ feeding patterns. The research shows different species exhibit unique foraging behaviors, and the study may be used to build more effective, species-specific synthetic lures for understanding pollinators, insects on which humans depend for sustaining many crops. In a study...
Hummingbirds are one of the most interesting species of birds and they have dazzling, iridescent colors. Duncraft offers these eight great tips so anyone can attract and enjoy these amazing “flying jewels” in their backyard. Concord, NH (PRWEB) April 19, 2012 Hummingbirds are one of the most interesting species of birds. They can hover, fly forward, backward and up and down. Not to mention their dazzling, iridescent colors. Duncraft offers these eight great tips so anyone can...
Latest Pollinators Reference Libraries
Apiology is the scientific study of honey bees, a subdiscipline of melittology (the study of all bees), which is a subdiscipline of entomology. Melittology comprises of more than 17,000 species other than the honey bee. Apiology includes apicology, which is the study of honey bee ecology. Honey bees are often chosen as a study group to answer questions on the evolution of social systems. People who study honey bees are called apiologists. There have been a number of notable apiologists...
California Leaf-nosed Bat, Macrotus californicus The California leaf-nosed bat (Macrotus californicus) is common to the United States and Mexico. The range of this leafed nose bat includes New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and in the scrub habitats located in the Mohave and Sonoran deserts in California. They can also be found in western Mexico. The California leaf-nosed bat is brown in color. It can weigh up to .7 ounces and has a wing span of over eleven inches. The long ears can be up to...
The Mexican long-tongued bat can be found in Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and the United States. The range of this bat extends as far south as Venezuela and in the United States, they can be found in New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California. Baby Mexican long-tongued bats are born with dense fur to keep them warm in their natural habitats located in chilly mountain canyons. With a tongue that can extend up to a third of the entire body length, the long-tongued bat can easily...
Three species in the Acherontia genus make up the group commonly referred to as the Death's-head Hawkmoth. One species is native to Europe, while the other two are found in Asia. These moths are named for their unique skull shaped markings on their thorax and vividly colored abdomens. They are also capable to making loud noises if frightened. These moths will invade beehives for honey and will come and go unharmed because they imitated the scent of the bees. Females will lay green or...
The Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is a species of hummingbird, and the smallest of all birds, being only 2 inches long and weighing 1.8 grams (0.06 oz). It is found in Cuba where it is called the Zunzuncito. It is also found on the Isle of Youth. The male has a fiery green throat, iridescent gorget with elongated lateral plumes, bluish upper-parts, and the rest of the underparts mostly grayish white. The female is green above, whitish below with white tips to the outer tail...
