(Decanter) The correlation between bees and fine wine quality may not be an obvious one, but Nicole and Xavier Rolet of Ventoux’s Chêne Bleu wine estate feel so passionately about the subject that they are funding research into the role of bees in sustainable viticulture, focusing on beehives as a catalyst for fine wine.
(WISHTV) An Indiana-based company that specializes in the redevelopment of former mining properties is adding another focus to its efforts. Land Betterment Corp. has formed a new subsidiary, Pollinate, which aims to cultivate bee colonies at the mines. Land Betterment says the goal of the subsidiary is to further the company’s overall mission of enhancing the ecosystem of the mining sites and creating sustainable community development and jobs.
(Xerces Society) In the fall of 2019, Xerces received a Conservation Innovation Grant from the Natural Resource Conservation Service to demonstrate the benefits of Bee Better Certification within the wine industry. To kick off the implementation stage of the project, Xerces conducted site visits at the five participating California vineyards to assess the potential for habitat and to discuss the pesticide practices outlined under Bee Better Certified.
(Xerces Society) Bee Better Certified Klickitat Canyon Winery has incorporated native prairie into the understory of their vineyard. The perennial grasses and wildflowers provide flowers, nesting habitat and serve as host plants to butterflies while also providing pest control services within the vineyard.
(USDA) A microscopic algae could provide a complete and sustainably sourced supplemental diet to boost the robustness of managed honey bees, according to scientists with the Agricultural Research Service. The microalgae, Arthrospira platensis, has a nutritional profile that closely resembles pollen.
(EurekAlert/Newcastle University) A new study shows that honey bee colonies from across the U.K. are increasingly suffering from chronic bee paralysis. The scientists also found that clusters of chronic bee paralysis, where disease cases are found close together, were becoming more frequent. Symptoms include abnormal trembling, an inability to fly, and the development of shiny, hairless abdomens. Infected bees die within a week.
(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Honey bees that guard hive entrances are twice as likely to allow in trespassers from other hives if the intruders are infected with the Israeli acute paralysis virus, a deadly pathogen of bees, researchers report. “The most important finding of our study is that IAPV infection increases the likelihood that infected bees are accepted by foreign colonies. Somehow, the infected bees are able to circumvent the guards of foreign colonies, which they shouldn’t be able to do.”
(Yahoo Finance) “BVT continues to positively impact our blueberry operations. We had very high fruit set despite poor weather conditions at times. 2020 will definitely be the highest production year for us and we will continue to use BVT for years to come,” said a co-founder of Major League Blueberries. Up next for BVT is the berry season in the Pacific Northwest.
