Bees are crucial to our primary sector, with a role far beyond honey production. New Zealand’s dependence on horticulture and agriculture means we may be more dependent on pollination from the honey bee than any other nation on earth.
Did you know that on 10 March 2011 there were 3,251 registered beekeepers, 23,395 apiaries and 388,369 beehives in New Zealand.
New Zealand honey bee products are sought after worldwide. Around approximately 9,000 to 12,000 tonnes of honey are produced annually, with almost one third to half exported. Exports of honey alone are valued at around $81 million, including $4 million of premium organic honey.
Honey is increasingly differentiated according to the flower source, with better blends and more appealing packaging adding value and ensuring more income per kilogram. Manuka honey, with renowned antiseptic properties, is keenly sought for use in products such as wound dressings. Its value has soared in recent years.
$5.1billion of NZ's economy is attributable to pollination by honey bees, domestic honey sales and exports, beeswax and exported honey bees.
Roughly one third of everything we eat is pollinated by bees. Many of our crops would not be viable without bee pollination – with an important role also played by bumble bees. Orchardists pay for hives to be located on their properties – a cost which varies depending on the crop but could range from $75 to $150 per hive.
Tens of thousands of beehives are needed for pollination nationwide - some are also used on more than one crop, and growers are concerned about their ongoing cost and availability. Nearly all beekeepers in the North Island, and over half in the South Island, provide hives for intensive pollination.
The number of beekeepers has declined dramatically over the last 10 years, not helped by the Varroa incursion – a mite which feeds off live bee larvae and adults. Just over 3,000 New Zealanders keep bees, with the 287 biggest beekeepers managing 96% of registered hives – an increase from an industry average of 20 hives per beekeeper in 1950. Those remaining in the industry are business focussed, hard working and good managers.
Anecdotal evidence shows beekeeping in many urban areas in New Zealand is increasing in popularity. Many of the National Beekeepers’ Association of New Zealand’s branches have reported increased interest in beekeeping from city-dwellers. The NBA says keeping a hive in your backyard is a great way to pollinate your own fruit and vegetables and also provides informative and entertaining education for kids.
Even the White House is getting into urban beekeeping. Michelle Obama keeps multiple beehives at the White House and uses the honey product and pollinated vegetables as gifts for visiting dignitaries and organisations.
Overseas evidence also suggests hives in cities are thriving and sometimes produce up to three times the amount of honey as bees in rural areas.
Growers and farmers well know the bee’s importance to high performing crops and pasture. Even crops that are intended to be self-pollinating perform better if pollinated by bees. Good agricultural and horticultural practice therefore relies on the correct use of agrichemicals, especially insecticides. It is imperative that growers keep the two apart.
The use of agrichemicals toxic to bees is controlled by the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 and the Agricultural Chemicals and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997. These laws make it an offence to use agrichemicals contrary to any bee toxicity warning on the label.
Varroa (binomial name “Varroa destructor”) is a mite which feeds off live bee larvae and adults. Since its discovery in New Zealand in 2000, Varroa has posed a major challenge, spreading to most parts of the country. Left untreated, infected hives will eventually die.
The introduction of the Varroa mite is an example of an incidental pest organism that Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) has estimated will cost the New Zealand economy between $400 and $900 million over 35 years.
The Varroa incursion highlights New Zealand’s vulnerability to biosecurity threats. The whole industry was shocked and government immediately restricted beehive movements. With eradication proving too difficult – particularly in wild bee colonies – containment became the goal. Despite tight bans on movement, Varroa spread to the South Island in June 2006. During 2008 all containment activities lapsed and nothing prevented Varroa spreading throughout New Zealand. In May 2010 Varroa was confirmed in the Central Otago district. It is now assumed there are only small areas left in New Zealand that are Varroa free.
Most beekeepers now treat their hives with chemicals at a cost of around $20 each, plus labour and transportation. However, as of late 2009 some beekeepers in the Auckland area began reporting signs of Varroa becoming resistant to synthetic pyrethroid treatments. Varroa resistance to synthetic pyrethroid treatment has not been confirmed as yet but has the potential to cause more problems for beekeepers than when Varroa first arrived in the country.
Varroa has forced permanent changes to New Zealand beekeeping. Beekeepers now subscribe to the Honey Bee Exotic Disease Survellience programme, under which they are constantly on the lookout for major biosecurity risks including European Foulbrood disease, Nosema ceranae, new viruses, mites and Africanised Honey Bee.
The risk of diseases, such as European Foulbrood and Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus, arriving in New Zealand is why the beekeeping industry is strongly opposed to the move to allow honey imports into the country from Australia. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) is currently undertaking further work on the honey Import Health Standard (IHS) to gain information about the presence or absence in New Zealand of three organisms – P.alvei, Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) and Nosema ceranae. As of the end of 2010, MAF confirmed the presence of P.alvei and Nosema ceranae in New Zealand.
New Zealand’s agriculture and horticulture industries may face a devastating biosecurity risk if a decision is made to allow the import of Australian honey products. There is significant risk to the industry of diseases and pests, like Small Hive Beetle, ‘hitchhiking’ into the country via Australian imports.
Honey bees are fundamental to the future of New Zealand’s agricultural and horticultural sectors and any threat or risk to the country’s bee population via honey imports could be disastrous for our economy.
An attack on New Zealand’s honey bee colonies affects not only the beekeeping industry but the entire agriculture and horticulture industries through the loss of pollination. That’s why it’s hugely important New Zealand remains vigilant and diligent about preventing biosecurity pests and diseases from gaining a foothold in this country.
Honey imports from Australia may also put New Zealand’s growing international honey trade in jeopardy.
As a result of ‘honey laundering’ Australia is now on a US watch list of 13 countries whose honey products must be checked carefully on entry.
According to Oritain (http://www.oritain.com/) honey is one of the most targeted foods for adulteration and counterfeiting. Oritain is developing an extensive database of authentic honey samples from around the world. It can now compare any sample to its data set and determine if its origin is within a region they have sampled. They can also determine the floral type (e.g. manuka, thyme, clover etc) and the percentage of floral type within a blended honey. This technology may become invaluable if honey from other countries is allowed into New Zealand.
The future of farming is reliant on all farmers playing their part in protecting the honey bee. In addition to the intensive pollination of horticultural and speciality agricultural crops by bees, bees also contribute indirectly through the pollination of clover, sown as a nitrogen regeneration source for the land we farm. This benefits our meat export industry through livestock production and sale.
Farmers can help bees by choosing bee friendly trees and shrubs when planting in waterway margins, windbreaks, field edges, under pivots and along roadsides. For more information visit http://www.fedfarm.org.nz/treesforbees.
http://nba.org.nz/about-bees/interesting-facts
Did you know that on 10 March 2011 there were 3,251 registered beekeepers, 23,395 apiaries and 388,369 beehives in New Zealand.
New Zealand honey bee products are sought after worldwide. Around approximately 9,000 to 12,000 tonnes of honey are produced annually, with almost one third to half exported. Exports of honey alone are valued at around $81 million, including $4 million of premium organic honey.
Honey is increasingly differentiated according to the flower source, with better blends and more appealing packaging adding value and ensuring more income per kilogram. Manuka honey, with renowned antiseptic properties, is keenly sought for use in products such as wound dressings. Its value has soared in recent years.
$5.1billion of NZ's economy is attributable to pollination by honey bees, domestic honey sales and exports, beeswax and exported honey bees.
Roughly one third of everything we eat is pollinated by bees. Many of our crops would not be viable without bee pollination – with an important role also played by bumble bees. Orchardists pay for hives to be located on their properties – a cost which varies depending on the crop but could range from $75 to $150 per hive.
Tens of thousands of beehives are needed for pollination nationwide - some are also used on more than one crop, and growers are concerned about their ongoing cost and availability. Nearly all beekeepers in the North Island, and over half in the South Island, provide hives for intensive pollination.
The number of beekeepers has declined dramatically over the last 10 years, not helped by the Varroa incursion – a mite which feeds off live bee larvae and adults. Just over 3,000 New Zealanders keep bees, with the 287 biggest beekeepers managing 96% of registered hives – an increase from an industry average of 20 hives per beekeeper in 1950. Those remaining in the industry are business focussed, hard working and good managers.
Anecdotal evidence shows beekeeping in many urban areas in New Zealand is increasing in popularity. Many of the National Beekeepers’ Association of New Zealand’s branches have reported increased interest in beekeeping from city-dwellers. The NBA says keeping a hive in your backyard is a great way to pollinate your own fruit and vegetables and also provides informative and entertaining education for kids.
Even the White House is getting into urban beekeeping. Michelle Obama keeps multiple beehives at the White House and uses the honey product and pollinated vegetables as gifts for visiting dignitaries and organisations.
Overseas evidence also suggests hives in cities are thriving and sometimes produce up to three times the amount of honey as bees in rural areas.
Growers and farmers well know the bee’s importance to high performing crops and pasture. Even crops that are intended to be self-pollinating perform better if pollinated by bees. Good agricultural and horticultural practice therefore relies on the correct use of agrichemicals, especially insecticides. It is imperative that growers keep the two apart.
The use of agrichemicals toxic to bees is controlled by the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 and the Agricultural Chemicals and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997. These laws make it an offence to use agrichemicals contrary to any bee toxicity warning on the label.
Varroa (binomial name “Varroa destructor”) is a mite which feeds off live bee larvae and adults. Since its discovery in New Zealand in 2000, Varroa has posed a major challenge, spreading to most parts of the country. Left untreated, infected hives will eventually die.
The introduction of the Varroa mite is an example of an incidental pest organism that Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) has estimated will cost the New Zealand economy between $400 and $900 million over 35 years.
The Varroa incursion highlights New Zealand’s vulnerability to biosecurity threats. The whole industry was shocked and government immediately restricted beehive movements. With eradication proving too difficult – particularly in wild bee colonies – containment became the goal. Despite tight bans on movement, Varroa spread to the South Island in June 2006. During 2008 all containment activities lapsed and nothing prevented Varroa spreading throughout New Zealand. In May 2010 Varroa was confirmed in the Central Otago district. It is now assumed there are only small areas left in New Zealand that are Varroa free.
Most beekeepers now treat their hives with chemicals at a cost of around $20 each, plus labour and transportation. However, as of late 2009 some beekeepers in the Auckland area began reporting signs of Varroa becoming resistant to synthetic pyrethroid treatments. Varroa resistance to synthetic pyrethroid treatment has not been confirmed as yet but has the potential to cause more problems for beekeepers than when Varroa first arrived in the country.
Varroa has forced permanent changes to New Zealand beekeeping. Beekeepers now subscribe to the Honey Bee Exotic Disease Survellience programme, under which they are constantly on the lookout for major biosecurity risks including European Foulbrood disease, Nosema ceranae, new viruses, mites and Africanised Honey Bee.
The risk of diseases, such as European Foulbrood and Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus, arriving in New Zealand is why the beekeeping industry is strongly opposed to the move to allow honey imports into the country from Australia. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) is currently undertaking further work on the honey Import Health Standard (IHS) to gain information about the presence or absence in New Zealand of three organisms – P.alvei, Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) and Nosema ceranae. As of the end of 2010, MAF confirmed the presence of P.alvei and Nosema ceranae in New Zealand.
New Zealand’s agriculture and horticulture industries may face a devastating biosecurity risk if a decision is made to allow the import of Australian honey products. There is significant risk to the industry of diseases and pests, like Small Hive Beetle, ‘hitchhiking’ into the country via Australian imports.
Honey bees are fundamental to the future of New Zealand’s agricultural and horticultural sectors and any threat or risk to the country’s bee population via honey imports could be disastrous for our economy.
An attack on New Zealand’s honey bee colonies affects not only the beekeeping industry but the entire agriculture and horticulture industries through the loss of pollination. That’s why it’s hugely important New Zealand remains vigilant and diligent about preventing biosecurity pests and diseases from gaining a foothold in this country.
Honey imports from Australia may also put New Zealand’s growing international honey trade in jeopardy.
As a result of ‘honey laundering’ Australia is now on a US watch list of 13 countries whose honey products must be checked carefully on entry.
According to Oritain (http://www.oritain.com/) honey is one of the most targeted foods for adulteration and counterfeiting. Oritain is developing an extensive database of authentic honey samples from around the world. It can now compare any sample to its data set and determine if its origin is within a region they have sampled. They can also determine the floral type (e.g. manuka, thyme, clover etc) and the percentage of floral type within a blended honey. This technology may become invaluable if honey from other countries is allowed into New Zealand.
The future of farming is reliant on all farmers playing their part in protecting the honey bee. In addition to the intensive pollination of horticultural and speciality agricultural crops by bees, bees also contribute indirectly through the pollination of clover, sown as a nitrogen regeneration source for the land we farm. This benefits our meat export industry through livestock production and sale.
Farmers can help bees by choosing bee friendly trees and shrubs when planting in waterway margins, windbreaks, field edges, under pivots and along roadsides. For more information visit http://www.fedfarm.org.nz/treesforbees.
http://nba.org.nz/about-bees/interesting-facts
Increased honey bee diversity means fewer pathogens, more helpful bacteria March 12 2012
Researchers assessed bacterial communities found within 10 genetically uniform and 12 genetically diverse honey bee colonies. Credit: Wellesley College
A novel study of honey bee genetic diversity co-authored by an Indiana University biologist has for the first time found that greater diversity in worker bees leads to colonies with fewer pathogens and more abundant helpful bacteria like probiotic species.
Led by IU Bloomington assistant professor Irene L.G. Newton and Wellesley College assistant professor Heather Mattila, and co-authors from Wellesley College and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, the new work describes the communities of active bacteria harbored by honey bee colonies. The study, which was conducted at Wellesley College in 2010, is also the first to identify four important microbes in bee colonies that have previously been associated with fermentation in humans and other animals: Succinivibrio (associated with cow rumens), Oenococcus (wine fermentation), Paralactobacillus (food fermentation) and Bifidobacterium(yogurt).
Newton, who joined the IU College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Biology last year, said the research suggests honey bees may take advantage of these beneficial symbiotic bacteria to convert indigestible material into nutritious food and to enhance protection from pathogens.
The research identified, for the first time, important food-processing genera in honey bee colonies: Succinivibrio and Oenococcus were the dominant genera found in the study, and there was 40 percent greater activity of the probiotic genera Bifidobacterium and Paralactobacillus in colonies that were genetically diverse compared to those that were genetically uniform. Genetic diversity is created in a colony when a queen mates with many male bees, an act that is known to improve colony health and productivity.
"We don't yet know what's causing colony collapse disorder, but colonies that succumb to it suffer from a broad range of problems," Newton said of a phenomenon that the U.S. Department of Agriculture says has taken about 34 percent of the overall U.S. honey bee population each year since 2007. "What we observed in our work was that there was less likelihood of potentially pathogenic bacteria showing up in genetically diverse honey bee colonies compared to genetically uniform colonies."
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The team was able to sample and then classify over 70,500 genetic sequences for bacterial genera from 10 genetically uniform colonies and 12 genetically diverse colonies by analyzing a specific molecule found in RNA -- a first for examining honey bees and their symbiotic microbes. Their study is the largest of its kind -- the single-largest analysis of newly identified active microbes ever to be identified in honey bees. In addition, they revealed that those microbes were more diverse in genetically diverse colonies (1,105 unique bacterial species) compared to genetically uniform colonies (781 species).
"What we found was that genetically diverse colonies have a more diverse, healthful, active bacterial community -- a greater number and diversity of bacterial sequences affiliated with beneficial genera were found in genetically diverse colonies," Newton said. "Conversely, genetically uniform colonies had a higher activity of potential plant and animal pathogens in their digestive tract -- 127 percent higher than workers from genetically diverse colonies."
Newton's co-author, Heather Mattila, has been investigating the benefits of genetic diversity for honey bees for years and was thrilled to have Newton's microbial expertise incorporated into the project.
"This is an exciting result because it gives us insight into how individual bees and their symbionts can enhance the overall health of a colony when it is genetically diverse," Mattila said.
It is yet unknown how genetic diversity within a colony generates and maintains more diverse and healthful bacteria. A honey bee colony is a eusocial superorganism -- thousands of worker sisters work together to execute all tasks needed by the whole. Honey bees may benefit from the bacterial symbionts that they host by increased resistance to colonization by pathogens or through the production of nutrients by these microbes. Newton and Mattila believe the work has clear implications not only for how coloniesare managed worldwide but also for the evolutionary advantages that polyandry (mating with multiple males) holds for eusocial honey bees.
"We are particularly interested in these results, and think the public will be too, given the alarming honey bee colony losses in recent years due to colony collapse disorder, as well as the role that these pollinators play in the security of our food supply," Newton said. "From what we've found at this point, I guess you could say that when you are living with 40,000 of your closest relatives, it pays to be genetically diverse."
More information: "Characterization of the active microbiotas associated with honey bees reveals healthier and broader communities when colonies are genetically diverse," by Heather R. Mattila, Daniela Rios, Victoria Walker-Sperling, Guus Roeselers, and Irene L.G. Newton, published March 12, 2012, in PLoS ONE.
Provided by Indiana University (news : web) http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-honey-bee-diversity-pathogens-bacteria.html
Researchers assessed bacterial communities found within 10 genetically uniform and 12 genetically diverse honey bee colonies. Credit: Wellesley College
A novel study of honey bee genetic diversity co-authored by an Indiana University biologist has for the first time found that greater diversity in worker bees leads to colonies with fewer pathogens and more abundant helpful bacteria like probiotic species.
Led by IU Bloomington assistant professor Irene L.G. Newton and Wellesley College assistant professor Heather Mattila, and co-authors from Wellesley College and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, the new work describes the communities of active bacteria harbored by honey bee colonies. The study, which was conducted at Wellesley College in 2010, is also the first to identify four important microbes in bee colonies that have previously been associated with fermentation in humans and other animals: Succinivibrio (associated with cow rumens), Oenococcus (wine fermentation), Paralactobacillus (food fermentation) and Bifidobacterium(yogurt).
Newton, who joined the IU College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Biology last year, said the research suggests honey bees may take advantage of these beneficial symbiotic bacteria to convert indigestible material into nutritious food and to enhance protection from pathogens.
The research identified, for the first time, important food-processing genera in honey bee colonies: Succinivibrio and Oenococcus were the dominant genera found in the study, and there was 40 percent greater activity of the probiotic genera Bifidobacterium and Paralactobacillus in colonies that were genetically diverse compared to those that were genetically uniform. Genetic diversity is created in a colony when a queen mates with many male bees, an act that is known to improve colony health and productivity.
"We don't yet know what's causing colony collapse disorder, but colonies that succumb to it suffer from a broad range of problems," Newton said of a phenomenon that the U.S. Department of Agriculture says has taken about 34 percent of the overall U.S. honey bee population each year since 2007. "What we observed in our work was that there was less likelihood of potentially pathogenic bacteria showing up in genetically diverse honey bee colonies compared to genetically uniform colonies."
Hu/Mu/Rat cDNA/ORF Clones - cDNA,Proteins,Antibodies,ELISA Kits Sequenced cDNA Clones, Lowest Price - sinobiological.com/Human_cDNA_Clone
The team was able to sample and then classify over 70,500 genetic sequences for bacterial genera from 10 genetically uniform colonies and 12 genetically diverse colonies by analyzing a specific molecule found in RNA -- a first for examining honey bees and their symbiotic microbes. Their study is the largest of its kind -- the single-largest analysis of newly identified active microbes ever to be identified in honey bees. In addition, they revealed that those microbes were more diverse in genetically diverse colonies (1,105 unique bacterial species) compared to genetically uniform colonies (781 species).
"What we found was that genetically diverse colonies have a more diverse, healthful, active bacterial community -- a greater number and diversity of bacterial sequences affiliated with beneficial genera were found in genetically diverse colonies," Newton said. "Conversely, genetically uniform colonies had a higher activity of potential plant and animal pathogens in their digestive tract -- 127 percent higher than workers from genetically diverse colonies."
Newton's co-author, Heather Mattila, has been investigating the benefits of genetic diversity for honey bees for years and was thrilled to have Newton's microbial expertise incorporated into the project.
"This is an exciting result because it gives us insight into how individual bees and their symbionts can enhance the overall health of a colony when it is genetically diverse," Mattila said.
It is yet unknown how genetic diversity within a colony generates and maintains more diverse and healthful bacteria. A honey bee colony is a eusocial superorganism -- thousands of worker sisters work together to execute all tasks needed by the whole. Honey bees may benefit from the bacterial symbionts that they host by increased resistance to colonization by pathogens or through the production of nutrients by these microbes. Newton and Mattila believe the work has clear implications not only for how coloniesare managed worldwide but also for the evolutionary advantages that polyandry (mating with multiple males) holds for eusocial honey bees.
"We are particularly interested in these results, and think the public will be too, given the alarming honey bee colony losses in recent years due to colony collapse disorder, as well as the role that these pollinators play in the security of our food supply," Newton said. "From what we've found at this point, I guess you could say that when you are living with 40,000 of your closest relatives, it pays to be genetically diverse."
More information: "Characterization of the active microbiotas associated with honey bees reveals healthier and broader communities when colonies are genetically diverse," by Heather R. Mattila, Daniela Rios, Victoria Walker-Sperling, Guus Roeselers, and Irene L.G. Newton, published March 12, 2012, in PLoS ONE.
Provided by Indiana University (news : web) http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-honey-bee-diversity-pathogens-bacteria.html
