“Stung” by the Pollinator bug

Posted on the USDA Blog by USDA Blogger

Alison Fritz is all smiles in her hobby as a beekeeper, among the youngest in the DC area."

Written By Jessica L. Morrison; USDA Forest Service Conservation Education Intern

As a volunteer intern for the Conservation Education department of the Forest Service, I was not expecting much more than to be cooped up in a cubical somewhere; making copies and filing things away into nonexistence. But almost as soon as I arrived at the agency’s big red building, my supervisor made that wouldn’t happen. Besides getting to weed the USDA’s roof gardens and learning how to pet bumblebees, I was given the opportunity to tag along as the film crew of PollinatorLIVE interviewed the youngest beekeeper in the D.C. area...

Read the whole blog post at USDA Blog: http://blogs.usda.gov/2010/08/06/%E2%80%9Cstung%E2%80%9D-by-the-pollinator-bug/

Pollinator Live

PollinatorLIVE: Native Bees, Honey Bees, Gardening, and More was webcast on September 29, 2010 at the Washington Youth Garden at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.

View the video and read the full article at: http://pollinatorlive.pwnet.org/webcasts/bees.php

"Stung" by the Pollinator Bug

by Jessica Morrison

Alison Fritz does not flinch as hundreds of bees furiously swarm around her in the sweltering heat. Safely clad in garments akin to something out of a science fiction novel, she comfortably slides open the lid of one of the three hives in her backyard. Fritz has been beekeeping for three years, and she is only 16 years old.

Having always been fascinated by insects, her unusual hobby was first sparked during a class about pollinators in the eighth grade.
“I’ve always liked insects. My dad taught me to pet bumblebees,” Fritz said. “When I began hearing about problems with the bee populations, I wanted to help.”...

View the video and read the article at: http://pollinatorlive.pwnet.org/webcasts/bees.php

BTW, you can see Alison at 18:43 into the video.

China

On August 25, I arrived in Beijing to spend my junior year doing a study abroad program in Beijing called SYA. I am hoping to learn more about the many environmental problems facing China—especially the disappearance of pollinators. Bees have disappeared altogether in some agricultural regions of China, necessitating hand pollination.

Already I have experienced first hand the pollution problem facing China with the unbelievable smog. I have also seen solutions being tested in the rural areas around Beijing. There are minimum impact areas where the streetlights are even solar powered. This Sunday I am participating in an event for 10-10-10 where we will be racing to collect as much trash as possible in parks around the city. Greening the Beige and 360, two active environmental networks in Beijing, are sponsoring this project. (http://www.greeningthebeige.org; http://www.350.org)

I’ve also seen beehives! When hiking a remote area of the great wall, we came across 3 beehives in the village. I was able to speak to one of the beekeepers, which was very interesting. Apparently beehives in China have a lower per-hive output of honey, and the flavor isn’t as good. But the system seemed similar from what I understood, and I was so happy to see honeybees buzzing in the sunshine.

On another note, the probable source of colony collapse has been discovered. A team of scientist has pinpointed a combination of a fungus and a virus that is present in every colony with CCD. However, the reason for the foothold this combination has been able to gain in emptying hives is still the many stresses bees face from pesticides, nutritional deficits in feeding, introduced maladies/pests, etc. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/science/07bees.html?_r=2