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The mite that kills honeybees - Varroa destructor.

The mite that kills honeybees – Varroa destructor.

by Chris, 22 February, 2019, 0 comments

The woodland’s blog has repeatedly reported on the state of honeybee populations and the phenomenon of colony collapse disorder / syndrome.  Three principal factors have been held responsible for the decline in honey bee numbers : Pesticides - notably the neonicotinoids Poor nutrition Parasites. Amongst the parasites, various viruses have been associated with decline - such as deformed wing virus (DWV), sacbrood virus (SBV) and black queen cell virus (BQCV).  These viruses are spread within the colonies (hives) by the activity of mites, specifically the varroa mite.  It has generally been assumed that whilst the mite feeds off of a honeybee (by hitching a ride on the bee), it did no great harm.   However, recent work by Samuel Ramsey et al (formerly at the University of Maryland) suggest that it is the mites’ feeding activities that are ultimately responsible for the death of the bees. Read more...
Unusual or exotic trees : the crab apple or wild apple tree.

Unusual or exotic trees : the crab apple or wild apple tree.

by Lewis, 1 February, 2019, 0 comments

Throughout the U.K, there are various apple trees in our hedgerows and woodlands.  Some of these are crab apple trees (Malus sylvestris), some are cultivated forms of apple (Malus domestica), some are Chinese Crab Apples (Malus hupehensis), some Siberian Crab Apples (Malus baccata) and others are hybrids somewhere in between.   The Chinese and Siberian Crab Apples were sometimes planted by the Forestry Commission in and around picnic areas and conifer plantations. Read more...
honeybee

Bees and the landscape

by Chris, 1 November, 2018, 3 comments

Bumblebees and honeybees seem to be assailed from all sides - pesticides, parasites and viruses, habitat fragmentation, climate change all come into play.     Now a study of honeybees in the North West (of the UK) suggests that there is a clear link between their immediate landscape and the quality of their diet. Bees collect pollen and nectar for their food    Nectar is converted into honey in the hive, whilst the pollen is converted into beebread / 'bee pollen' .  Read more...
box moth

The Box Moth – food, sex and death

by Angus, 24 October, 2018, 2 comments

The box moth has recently been ravaging the box hedges of Britain.  Box hedges are like jam sandwiches to these hungry caterpillars and they are making gardens and woodlands unsightly and in some places they are putting at risk the survival of traditional hedging.  Surprising as it may seem, there is an organisation dedicated to promoting boxwood - the European Boxwood and Topiary Society which celebrates and protects ornamental gardens across Europe. Box Moths (Cydalima perspectalis) come in two forms - the common variant and the darker melanic variant.  Like most animals, their main activities are eating and sex.  The eating is mainly done by the caterpillars which eat the box leaves and create a trail of cobwebs and leaf pellets - part of an affected box bush is shown below :- Read more...
ash keys

Seeds – the means of dispersal

by Chris, 19 October, 2018, 1 comments

In general, as plants are fixed in place, they have a bit of a problem when it comes to reproduction. That is, exchanging genetic material with one another and then ensuring that their offspring can establish themselves away from the parents so that they are not in direct competition.   Some plants have solved this by using the wind to move pollen and/or seeds (anemochory), some use water (hydrochory) and many others have ‘entered into associations’ with animals.    The list of animals providing ‘assistance’ is quite varied.  In the case of pollen, transfer is achieved by beetles, bees, bumblebees, hoverflies, hummingbirds, fruit bats, moths etc.  The dispersal of seeds by animals is known as zoochory.   Read more...
Flowers, nectar and 'mad honey'

Flowers, nectar and ‘mad honey’

by Chris, 13 July, 2018, 3 comments

Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by special glands on a plant.  These glands are normally associated with the flowers - but not always.  Floral nectaries are often found at the base of the petals so that a visiting insect picks up or deposits pollen whilst collecting the nectar.  The visitor thus 'helps’ the plant to reproduce / set seed.   Common pollinators are bumblebees, bees, wasps, moths, butterflies and hummingbirds;  less common pollinators are flies, ants, possums and bats. However, nectaries can be found elsewhere on a plant - on leaves, leaf stalks (petioles), stems and fruits; these are extra-floral nectaries. Read more...
The Great British Bee Count (and App) - 2018.

The Great British Bee Count (and App) – 2018.

by Chris, 19 May, 2018, 3 comments

This week saw the start of the 2018 Great British Bee Count.  The aim of the count is to estimate the number of bumblebees and solitary bees that are buzzing around this year.  As the woodlands blog has reported on many occasions, bees and bumblebees are threatened by viruses, mites, pesticides*, inclement weather, habitat loss etc - so a count across the country (from John O'Groats to Land's End) is a 'good thing' informing, for example, the Pollinator Monitoring Scheme how bees and bumblebees are faring across the country.  The information also contributes to the  National Biodiversity Network Atlas  (NBN), which records the current status of all species in the U.K. To help with this, there is a smart phone App - available for either iPhones or Android Phones.  The App enables you to submit sightings of bumblebees and bees (with photos where possible) Read more...
wasp

Why wasps ?

by Lewis, 28 January, 2018, 1 comments

Generally speaking, honey bees and bumblebees have a "good press", wasps do not.  Bees are associated with honey and the pollination of flowers and fruit trees.  Wasps are often associated with being stung and with disrupting our meals when dining "al fresco". Why is it that wasps want to invade our space and our meals?    Wasps, like bees, like sugary things (e.g. nectar).  During the Spring and Summer, wasps can obtain sugars from the larvae that they are rearing back in their nest. The worker wasps hunt for insects in our gardens amongst the flowers and vegetables, and take back their prey to the nest.  The prey is then fed to the larvae - which need a protein-rich diet in order to grow.   In return,  the larvae secrete (from their salivary glands) a sugar-rich fluid and the adults feed upon this. Read more...

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