Wildfire bees on the brink
The number of threatened Australian native bee species is expected to increase by nearly five times after the devastating Black Summer bushfires in 2019-20, new research led by Flinders University has found......»»
Honey bees in demand: New contract strategies to support pollination services
As the world's native bee populations are declining, crop production requiring pollinators increasingly relies on commercial pollination services. In the U.S., the beekeeping industry is in great demand, and truckloads of bee colonies travel the coun.....»»
What colors do bees see? And how do we know?
I was reading a children's book about insects to my daughter, and it said that bees see colors differently than humans do. My daughter immediately asked, in short succession: "What colors do they see? Why? How do we know?" I did some homework to find.....»»
Scientists track and analyze lofted embers that cause spot fires
In the chaos of a wildfire, heat, wind, flames and fuel interact to produce embers that are lofted into surrounding areas, starting new spot fires and spreading destruction and property loss in California's wildland-urban interface......»»
Stressed bees make pessimistic choices and may experience emotion-like states, new research suggests
Stressed bees are much more likely to make pessimistic choices and lack a buzz in life, new research has revealed......»»
Field notes: Life in the Eldorado National Forest after wildfire strikes
Charred trees punctuated the Eldorado National Forest like blackened skeletons of their former selves, victims of the Mosquito Fire. Two years earlier, in 2022, the Mosquito Fire started in Tahoe National Forest, moved north to the Eldorado and torch.....»»
Scientists offer a detailed look at the skeleton of an ancient predator that thrived in extreme conditions
Imagine a world on the brink of collapse: volcanic eruptions spewing toxic gases, oceans turning acidic, and up to 90% of Earth's species vanishing in the blink of an eye. This was the reality at the end of the Permian Period, around 252 million year.....»»
New research offers fresh hope to curb illegal orchid trafficking in Vietnam
Orchids, with their captivating beauty, have become a multi-billion-dollar industry. Unfortunately, many species are on the brink of extinction, particularly in Vietnam, due to unsustainable wild harvesting and minimal enforcement of laws restricting.....»»
Volunteers help seedlings take root as New Mexico attempts to recover from historic wildfire
A small team of volunteers spent a few hours scrambling across fire-ravaged mountainsides, planting hundreds of seedlings as part of a monumental recovery effort that has been ongoing following the largest wildfire in New Mexico's recorded history......»»
Wildfire grows to nearly 2K acres next to Utah-Colorado border
Wildfire grows to nearly 2K acres next to Utah-Colorado border.....»»
Possum shrimp use their cave"s special smell to trace their way home, study finds
Homing is an animal's ability to navigate towards an original location, such as a breeding spot or foraging territory. Salmon and racing pigeons are famous for homing, but similar behaviors occur in groups as diverse as bees, frogs, rats, and sea tur.....»»
Google backs privately funded satellite constellation for wildfire detection
"Authorities will have high-resolution imagery that is updated globally every 20 minutes." Enlarge / The Windy Fire blazes through the Long Meadow Grove of giant sequoia trees near The Trail of 100 Giants overnight in Sequoia Nat.....»»
Comprehensive model uses airborne LiDAR data to predict walking travel times with unprecedented accuracy
You're a hotshot working to contain a wildfire. The conflagration jumps the fire line, forcing your crew to flee using pre-determined escape routes. At the start of the day, the crew boss estimated how long it should take to get to the safety zone. W.....»»
Flowers use adjustable "paint by numbers" petal designs to attract pollinators, researchers discover
Flowers like hibiscus use an invisible blueprint established very early in petal formation that dictates the size of their bullseyes—a crucial pre-pattern that can significantly impact their ability to attract pollinating bees......»»
Los Angeles wildfire explodes, engulfing homes
A wildfire in the hills near Los Angeles exploded overnight, torching dozens of homes as its footprint increased 1,000 percent by Wednesday......»»
Corn-shaped seed pellets to boost habitat for monarchs, bees
Crop fields are low in biodiversity, but farmers may soon be part of the solution thanks to a Cornell innovation that allows growers to use corn or other crop seed planting machines to plant strips of milkweed or wildflowers next to their fields......»»
It"s not just hot air: Improved air quality model aids forecasters in the field
Imagine you're a NOAA weather forecaster in the field during a raging, rapidly-spreading wildfire. Your title is incident meteorologist (or IMET), and your job is to support agencies and emergency responders who fight these devastating blazes by prov.....»»
Evacuations ordered as wildfire burns in foothills of national forest east of LA
Evacuations were ordered Saturday as a wildfire scorched the foothills of a national forest east of Los Angeles, amid a days-long heat wave that pushed temperatures into the triple digits across the region......»»
Replacement crop treatment not safe for important pollinator, experts say
A novel pesticide thought to be a potential successor to banned neonicotinoids caused 100% mortality in mason bees in a recent test. The novel pesticide, flupyradifurone, is thought to pose less risk to pollinators and, consequently, has been license.....»»
Providing blooms all season long may be key to attracting pollinators, no matter what landscape is near your garden
A diverse and abundant flower planting that provides flowers in bloom all season may be more important to bees and other pollinators than whatever is surrounding the flower garden, according to a study published September 4, 2024 in PLoS ONE by Devon.....»»
Colorado"s wildfire risk is so high a fire department struggled to find insurance to build a new firehouse
The Durango Fire Protection District was repeatedly denied insurance coverage for the construction of its new downtown firehouse earlier this year because of the wildfire risk......»»