bees Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

The dirty work of owning mason bees

By Lauren Gallup October 21, 2024

Workers at Rent Mason Bees sort through bee cocoons on a light table that allows them to see through the cocoon. (Credit: Lauren Gallup / NWPB)

Every October in the backyard of a Bothell home, a team of workers swarm around millions of blue orchard mason bees, to harvest the hibernating bees. The company, Rent Mason Bees, quickly takes apart and cleans the wooden nesting blocks that gardeners and farmers across the state use in the spring to house these tiny pollinators. The company offers this service as part Read More

Fewer Northwest bees shipped to California’s almonds could be a buzzkill for Washington and Oregon crops

By Anna King June 8, 2024

Brandon Hopkins, a bee researcher with Washington State University, points May 15 with his hive tool to the new bee larvae cells where baby bees develop in the hive near […]Read More

Fly, you die: Northwest bees that fly during mild winter weather less likely to survive until spring

By Anna King May 24, 2024

Brandon Hopkins, 42, with Washington State University, stands in front of the university’s bee colonies at a facility in Othello, Washington, where he and a team were examining the hives. […]Read More

The buzz: New honey bee vaccine could protect pollinators, improve U.S. agriculture

By Lauren Paterson February 2, 2023

Bright yellow bees crawl around yellow honeycombs.

The new honey bee vaccine from Dalan Animal Health is currently undergoing field trials to gather more data. (Credit: Dalan Animal Health) Listen (Runtime 1:07) Read Honey bees and other […]Read More

Dead Giant Hornet In Snohomish County Is First Found This Year In U.S.

By NWPB News June 16, 2021

A Washington State Department of Agriculture workers holds two of the dozens of Asian giant hornets vacuumed from a tree Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, in Blaine, Wash. Scientists in Washington state discovered the first nest earlier in the week, the first in the United States, and worked to wipe it out to protect native honeybees. CREDIT: Elaine Thompson/AP

Scientists have found a dead Asian giant hornet north of Seattle, the first so-called murder hornet discovered in the country this year, federal and state investigators said Wednesday.Read More

More Bad Buzz For Bees: Record Numbers Of Honey Bee Colonies Died Last Winter

By NPR News June 19, 2019

Honey bee hives stand on a field at the Central Maryland Research and Education Center in Beltsville, Maryland. CREDIT: OLIVIA FALCIGNO/NPR

Bee colony death continues to rise. According to the Bee Informed Partnership's latest survey, released this week, U.S. beekeepers lost nearly 40% of their honey bee colonies last winter — the greatest reported winter hive loss since the partnership started its surveys 13 years ago.Read More

From Northwest Hives To California Almonds, Bee ‘Deadout’ Threatens Crops And Livelihoods

By Anna King February 19, 2019

A healthy hive able to pollinate has at least eight frames mostly covered in bees on both sides. But the fear this year is that there will be many weaker hives put into California almond orchards for pollination because so many hives have died. CREDIT: GRETA MART

This beekeeper lost more than half of his hives over the winter — 50,000. And he's not alone.Read More

Study: A Common Insecticide Is Harming Bees And Their Ability To Pollinate Crops

By NPR News November 11, 2018

A bumblebee outfitted with a unique tracking tag forages outdoors. CREDIT: James Crall /Science

Bees exposed to a type of insecticides called neonicotinoids dramatically changed their behavior — becoming sluggish, antisocial and spending less time caring for the colony's young, researchers say.Read More

The Search Is On For Every Bee Species In Oregon

By NWPB News October 9, 2018

No one knows just what bee species live in Oregon, which means we can't even begin to track if they're declining. A statewide project wants to change that.Read More

Watch This Native Pollinator Build Her Bee-Jeweled Nest

By NPR News August 20, 2018

A female blue orchard bee forages for nectar and pollen on Phacelia tanacetifolia flowers, also known as blue or purple tansy. Blue orchard bees are solitary bees that help pollinate California's almond orchards. CREDIT: JOSH CASSIDY

While honeybees and their buzzing hives and hyper-fertile queens get all the press for pollinating our food supply, the hard-working blue orchard bee is one of 4,000 bee species native to North America that does its solitary work in relative obscurity. That is, until now.Read More

The dirty work of owning mason bees

Fewer Northwest bees shipped to California’s almonds could be a buzzkill for Washington and Oregon crops

Fly, you die: Northwest bees that fly during mild winter weather less likely to survive until spring

The buzz: New honey bee vaccine could protect pollinators, improve U.S. agriculture

Dead Giant Hornet In Snohomish County Is First Found This Year In U.S.

More Bad Buzz For Bees: Record Numbers Of Honey Bee Colonies Died Last Winter

From Northwest Hives To California Almonds, Bee ‘Deadout’ Threatens Crops And Livelihoods

Study: A Common Insecticide Is Harming Bees And Their Ability To Pollinate Crops

The Search Is On For Every Bee Species In Oregon

Watch This Native Pollinator Build Her Bee-Jeweled Nest

In The Mountain West, Spring Is Springing Sooner, Throwing Nature’s Rhythm Out Of Whack

Native Bees And Alfalfa Seeds: A Northwest Love Story

Bumblebee Blues: An Important Northwest Pollinator In Trouble

Could Blue Bees Be Better For Northwest Crops?

Beekeepers Can’t Change The Winter, But They Can Change The Bees

Growing Weeds And Feeding Bees: Beekeepers And Farmers Work To Help Honey Bees Thrive