August 8, 2017, I was invited to give a talk on honey bee photography (which I call “beetography”) to the A2B2 (Ann Arbor Backyard Beekeepers Club) and I suggested that I do a field trip with beekeepers who are interested in shooting bees. I thought I could take 5 people and do hands on with them. Instead I got 15 people from the Shutterbug group . This is the second time for me to give a talk there this year. And my third trip, I was there the first time about 10 years ago. Here are some shots I did with my D700 and R1C1 flashes. 1. A bee foraging on Androsace, Primulaceae. This is a new record for me. Never seen honey bees foraging on this flower. I found two honey bees with lots of flowers. So I rate this flower as 1 in attraction scale from 0 to 10. 2. A bee foraging on Cuphea llavea , Lythraceae. Bumble bees were foraging on the flowers normally because their longer proboscis can reach the nectar, honey bees choose to “rob” at the base because they could not reach the nectar from the corolla. 3. A bee just landing on a cone flower to make honey, while two fireflies making love 4. A bee foraging on a Celosia. 5. A honey bee foraging a type of sumac. It was filled with honey bees but I do not know the species. 6. A swallowtail foraging on a verbena. 7. I was lucky enough to get really close to the sphinx moth (mostly like a Hemaris, Sphingidae). Usually they are very shy and I could be always 10 meters away. This time I was about 10″ away. 8. Another shot. Group photo with only part of the group, by Patrick with a Fuji mirrorless. Just before my talk. There must be about 70 people? (More people came later). Me answering questions, photo by Patrick A photo of me talking by Patrick The following are photos of people shooting in the garden, shot by my cellphone.
Diversity of Insect Pollinators Why insect pollinators? You may ask. And it was also the the question I asked myself when I began to think about writing a blog post for the workshop of Communicating Science via Photography. The reasons are obvious. First and foremost, here is the fact, at least one out of every three bites of food we eat today is thanks to insect pollinators. Secondly, you have heard enough from the news that our pollinators are declining. However, when we talk about pollinators, the first thing comes into our mind is honey bee. Although it is true that honey bee is the most common pollinator, there are many other bees and insects pollinating flowering plants. Therefore, this post aims to show the diversity of insect pollinators. What are the insect pollinators? Many important insect pollinators are in the following orders: Hymenoptera (bees and wasps), Diptera(flies), Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), and Coleoptera (Beetles). 1. Managed bees such as honey bees (Figure 1) and bumble bees (Figure 2) are the most common insect pollinators. Figure 1 A honey bee foraging on goldenrod flowers. Scientists have just found out that climate change does affect insect pollinators. According to a Purdue University study, rising levels of atmospheric CO2 have reduced proteins in goldenrod pollen, a key late-season food source for North American bees (Ziska et al. 2016). Figure 2 Five bumblebees are clustering on these milkweed flowers. One of the ways that we can do to save bees or other insect pollinators is to plant insect-pollinator-friendly flowers and flowering herbs in our gardens and yards. 2. Wild bees. More than 4000 species of bees live in the United States and Canada and the majority of them are wild bees,including the following green sweat bee (Figure 3). Figure 3 A lovely green sweat bee is foraging on the flowers of garlic mustard. 3. Wasps. Adult solitary wasps usually feed on otheri nsects or spiders, but some of them such as species in the family Sphecidae(Figure 4) may use nectar and pollen for food and therefore pollinate flowers as a result of their feeding. Figure 4 This GreatGolden Digger is a fairly common species found in flower gardens. 4. Flies. The most abundant flower-visiting fliesare found in the family Syrphidae, flower flies (Figure 5). Figure 5 A flowerfly is feeding on nectar at wild flowers. 5. Butterflies and moths. Numerous butterflies(Figure 6) feed on nectar from flowers as adults. Figure 6 A Peck'sSkipper, Polites peckius , feed on nectar from a Red Clover flower. Many moth species (Figure 7) are also found visiting flowers as adults. Figure 7 A tigermoth resting on milkweed flowers. 6. Beetles. Beetles may pollinate as they move from flower to flower feeding pollen, nectar or flower parts. Some are even named as flowerbeetles such as the following flower longhorn beetle (Figure 8). Figure 8 A flower longhorn beetle is munching on pollen of milkweed flowers.
根据一项全美范围的调查结果,2014年4月到2015年4月之间,美国的家养蜜蜂蜂群同比损失超过40%。这是一项连续9年对冬季蜂群损失,连续5年对夏季蜂群损失的调查。来自全美50个州超过6000蜜蜂养殖者(他们管理的蜂群占全美274万蜂群的15%)参与了去年的调查,他们报道去年的总损失为42.1%。其中冬季损失率从23.7%下降到了23.1%, 但夏季损失率从19.8%增长到27.4%,这也是夏季损失首次超过冬季损失。 美国蜂群损失图 ( CREDIT: BEE INFORMED PARTNERSHIP/UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND/LORETTA KUO) 参与调查的养殖者包括商业养殖者和小规模养殖者(管理少于50群的养殖者)。小规模养殖者蜂群损失的元凶是蜂螨( Varroa destructor ,一种从亚洲传入对蜜蜂有致命性的寄生螨,并可以在不同的蜂群间传播)因为大多数小规模养殖者并不采取措施来防治蜂螨。商业养殖者遭受更多的是夏季损失,但一般都会采取更多的措施来防治蜂螨,因此蜂群损失的原因尚不清楚。 中国的蜜蜂也正遭受蜂螨的侵扰,但类似全国范围的调查国内应该还没有。虽然我在前一篇博文 谁把小蜜变成了瘾君子? 提到,在过去的50年里,中国的蜜蜂养殖业逆势增长,但近几年是否依然增长,以及蜂螨对中国蜜蜂养殖业的影响是如何的应该给以足够的关注。 1. 四月底的哥伦布海棠花(crabapple)盛开,但小蜜的数量并不多,反而是其他野生蜂更多,当时还纳闷是怎么回事呢。原来小蜜真的是不见了。 2。正在采蜜 3。空中侦察 Source: The above story is based on materials provided by University of Maryland .
小蜜很少光顾郁金香的。 估计郁金香是培育出来让人看着好看, 至于有没有花蜜, 有没有花粉, 就没有那么重要了。 但是有一个品种, 小蜜很爱的。 被我碰到了。 不过已经是10年前拍的片! 现在开始整理小蜜采各种花的照片。 要不我死了以后, 这些片片都埋没了啊。 Published May 8, 2014. Will honey bees forage on tulip flowers? On certain varieties, yes. I searched for google images and there are only a few (less than 4) photos of honey bees foraging on tulip. I have seen others occasionally showing a honey bee flying toward some tulip flowers. Kathy Keatley Garvey says perhaps the lone bee she observed on a tulip was making a mistake. I did observed one variety of tulip attracting many bees -- perhaps due to its quite abundant and drier pollen? That was April 11, 2004 (I love digital cameras! on film I am not sure if I would find my record of the date and time). Since tulips are just blooming now, this is another piece of evidence that this year our season is one month behind! There are not many records of honey bees foraging on tulips. So I consider this flower not important for honey bees. Nevertheless, enjoy these photos, as these bees certainly did! Photos taken April 11, 2014, with Nikon D70. I think I just bought that camera March that year! 1. Anybody knows the name of this tulip variety? Its cups are quite open, not typical tulip flowers with more closed cups. 2. You can see the dried pollen on the petals. 3. A bee in flight, she is covered with pollen 3. One is working hard with another one coming to the same flower. 4. Looked at the pollen everywhere! 5. A close up of a bee in flight. the wings are almost vertical, this is during the position when the wings have reached the highest position and the wings are ready to turn direction and then flip downward to generate lift. More photos are at http://ww2.beetography.com/index.php/Apis-mellifera/Tulip References: Garvey ,K.K. 2010. Tiptoeing Through the Tulips,http://cagardenweb.ucanr.edu/?blogpost=2555blogasset=42184
(2012-05-12 21:44:28) 原文地址: 抗议孟山都转基因Bt玉米屠杀蜜蜂波兰人民示威农业部禁种 作者: 陈一文顾问 爱因斯坦名言:“如果蜜蜂从地球上消失,那么人类也将只剩下四年的时间。没有蜜蜂,那么就没有授粉,没有植物,没有人类”。 孟山都转基因 Bt 玉米 MON810 是中国农业部批准进口做加工原料的转基因产品,其他国家态度如何?。 超过 1500 养蜂农与反对转基因生物活动者游行通过华沙的街道,将数千死蜜蜂倾倒在农业部的台阶上,抗议转基因作物及其使用的杀虫剂一起对大量屠杀蜜蜂、蝴蝶、蛾与其他有益的花粉传播昆虫有很大责任。波兰农业部长 马雷克·萨维斯基宣布了禁止孟山都转基因 Bt 玉米 MON810 的计划,使波兰成为比利时、英国、保加利亚、法国、德国、爱尔兰与斯洛伐克之后禁止转基因 Bt 作物的第八个国家。 波兰成为世界头一个正式确认蜜蜂造成灾难的孟山都转基因玉米与“蜂群衰竭失调”( CCD )之间有关联的国家,但是看来孟山都一直指导他们的转基因生物对蜜蜂造成这种危险。一项德国的研究中,当蜂蜜释放到转基因油菜田中,然后将油菜花粉喂给幼蜂,科学家发现幼蜂肠道中的细菌显现了油菜经修改的基因。这证实花粉中的转基因 DNA 可以通过它们的消化系统传递到蜜蜂中。值得高度关注的是,生物技术巨头孟山都最近收购了美国专业研究“蜂群衰竭失调”( CCD )的 Beeologics 公司,美国农业部等政府机构依赖于这个公司帮助解开大量蜜蜂失踪后边的秘密。 MON 810 GM Bt maize is one of the GMO products approved by China’s Ministry of Agriculture as raw material for processing. O ver 1,500 beekeepers and anti-GMO protesters marched through the streets of Warsaw, depositing thousands of dead bees on the steps of the Ministry of Agriculture in protest of genetically modified foods and their pesticides which are together largely responsible for the killing off of bees, butterflies, moths and other beneficial pollinators in great numbers. The Minister of Agriculture, Marek Sawicki, announced plans to ban MON810, which made Poland, following Belgium , Britain, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Ireland and Slovakia, the eight EU nation banning GM Bt plants. Poland is the first country to formally acknowledge the link between Monsanto’s genetically engineered corn and the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) that’s been devastating bees around the world, but it’s likely that Monsanto has known the danger their GMOs posed to bees all along. In one German study, when bees were released in a genetically engineered canola field, then fed the canola pollen to younger bees, scientists discovered the bacteria in the guts of the young bees took on the traits of the canola’s modified genes. That proves that GMO DNA in pollen can be transferred to bees though their digestive system. The biotech giant recently purchased a CCD research firm, Beeologics , that government agencies, including the US Department of Agriculture, have been relying on for help unraveling the mystery behind the disappearance of the bees. 孟山都转基因 Bt 玉米屠杀蜜蜂证据确凿,人民示威抗议,波兰农业部 正式发布强制性禁止 种植 Monsanto GM Bt maize massacres Bees is proved with evidence, people demonstrate to protest, the Polish Ministry of Agriculture bans growing -- 禁止抗草甘膦转基因作物原料进口、开发、种植、销售理由之 237 -- The 237 th reason to forbid import, development, growing and selling of RR soybeans 译者:陈一文( cheniwan@mx.cei.gov.cn ) Translated by Chen I-wan 《转基因技术与人类安全》研究专家、 80 年代前全国青联委员 “GM Technology Mankind Safety” researcher 《新浪网》“陈一文顾问博客”: http://blog.sina.com.cn/cheniwan Poland imposes ban on Monsanto MON810 genetically modified maize 波兰农业部强制禁止孟山都转基因 Bt 玉米 MON810 种植 http://digitaljournal.com/article/322551 By/ 作者: Anne Sewell 2012-04-07 Warsaw - In Warsaw, Poland a ban has now officially been imposed on Monsanto's MON810 GMO maize. Recent protests by beekeepers and anti-GMO activists have a successful conclusion. 华沙消息 – 在波兰华沙,政府正式发布强制性禁止孟山都转基因 Bt 玉米 MON810 。养蜂农与反对转基因活动者们获得了成功的结论。 Digital Journal reported in late March on a protest by Beekeepers and Anti-GMO activists in Warsaw, Poland. The activists were demanding that the Minister of Agriculture, Marek Sawicki ban MON810 in the country. 数据化杂志( Digital Journal ) 2012 年 3 月末对波兰华沙养蜂农与反对转基因活动者们的抗议示威进行了报道。反对转基因活动者们要求农业部长马雷克·萨维斯基在波兰禁止孟山都转基因 Bt 玉米 MON810 。 The good news is that their protests have had a successful outcome. 好的消息是他们的抗议取得了成功的结果。 Minister of Agriculture in the Polish Government, Marek Sawicki has set another international standard against Monsanto's controversial GMOs. Sawicki says that as well as being linked to range of health ailments, the pollen originating from this GM strain might actually be devastating to the already reduced bee population in the country. 波兰政府农业部长马雷克·萨维斯基在反对孟山都引起争议的转基因生物方面创立了又一个国际标准榜样。萨维斯基说,与一系列健康疾病联系的来自这种转基因作物的花粉可能对波兰已经减少了的蜜蜂数量是灾难性的。 According to AFP , Sawicki told the press: “The decree is in the works. It introduces a complete ban on the MON810 strain of maize in Poland.” 根据法新社的报道,萨维斯基告诉媒体:“该项政府指令已列入计划。它在波兰引入对于孟山都转基因 Bt 玉米 MON810 的实施完全禁止。” On March 9th, there was similar opposition to Monsanto GMO strains. On that date 7 European countries blocked the proposal by the Danish presidency to permit the cultivation of GMO crops on the entire European continent. The countries who blocked this proposal were Belgium, Britain, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Ireland and Slovakia. A week after this announcement, France imposed a temporary ban on the Monsanto MON810 strain. 3 月 9 日 ,其他地方对孟山都转基因作物提出了类似的反对。这一条,七个欧洲国家阻止了丹麦总统允许在整个欧洲大陆种植转基因作物的提议。阻止该提议的国家为比利时、英国、保加利亚、法国、德国、爱尔兰与斯洛伐克。 发布该项组织后一周,法国对孟山都转基因 Bt 玉米 MON810 实施了临时禁止令。 In Lyon, France, a ruling was given by the court after Paul Francois, a grain grower, advised that Monsanto had failed to provide sufficient warnings on its Lasso Weedkiller product label. Lack of warnings has caused neurological problems, including headaches and memory loss. 在法国里昂,一位谷物种植农民保罗·法兰索斯通报孟山都未能对其 Lasso 除草剂毒性提供充分警示标识后,法庭进行了裁决。缺乏这样的警示造成了神经学问题,包括头痛与记忆衰退。 Following testimony, the court ordered an expert opinion to verify the link between Lasso and the illnesses that have been reported and also to determine the sum of damages payable. The result of the court hearing was that Monsanto was guilty, and this has paved the way for similar legal action on behalf of farmers in the future. 听证后,法庭要求提供专家意见核实孟山都 Lasso 除草剂与所报告的疾病的联系并且确定对于所造成的损害应支付的赔偿。法庭审讯的结果是孟山都有罪,这为今后的类似法律诉讼中做出代表农民们利益的裁决铺平了道路。 Further in France, the agricultural branch of the social security system has gathered approximately 200 alerts per year since 1996, in connection with pesticide-related sickness. Despite this, only 47 cases have been recognized in the last 10 years. 同样在法国,社会保险系统的农业分支机构,自 1996 年以来收集了与农药相关疾病的大约 200 次警报。尽管如此,过去 10 年中与农药相关疾病的案例只有 47 项获得承认。 The fight against Monsanto continues with many countries fighting the GMO products, including India, who are slamming the agro-giant with "biopiracy" charges, and Hungary , who recently destroyed 1,000 acres of GM maize. The victory in Poland is yet another notch in the belt of anti-GMO activists worldwide. 对抗孟山都的斗争在抗争转基因产品的许多国家继续,包括印度,对这个农业巨头提出“生物剽窃”的指控,以及匈牙利,他们不久前销毁了 1,000 英亩的转基因玉米。在波兰取得的胜利只是世界范围反对转基因生物活动者们斗争中又一项进展。 Stop the Mass Death of Bees! 停止屠杀蜜蜂! http://www.eco-diva.com/?p=1127 By/ 作者: Eco Diva "Maria" 2012-05-10 Monsanto’s Mon810 corn, genetically engineered to produce a synthetic version of the insecticide Bt, has been banned in Poland following protests by beekeepers who showed the corn was killing honeybees. 孟山都的 Mon810 玉米,转基因来产生杀虫剂 Bt 的一种人造版本。波兰养蜂农抗议示威表明这种转基因玉米正在屠杀蜂蜜后,波兰禁止了这种转基因玉米。 Protest Poland/ 波兰游行示威游行视频 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBJNVLbhtwU Meanwhile,commercial beekeepers in the U.S. have filed an emergency legal petition with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to suspend use of a pesticide that is linked to massive honey bee deaths. The legal petition, which specifies Bayer’s neonicotinoid pesticide clothianidin, is backed by over one million citizen petition signatures. 在此同时,美国的商业化养蜂农,向环境保护署( EPA )提出了一项紧急法律请愿,要求暂停与大量蜂蜜死亡关联的一种农药。明确指控拜耳公司烟碱类 杀虫剂有噻虫胺的 该项法律请愿得到 100 万民众请愿签字支持。 Poland is the first country to formally acknowledge the link between Monsanto’s genetically engineered corn and the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) that’s been devastating bees around the world, but it’s likely that Monsanto has known the danger their GMOs posed to bees all along. The biotech giant recently purchased a CCD research firm, Beeologics , that government agencies, including the US Department of Agriculture, have been relying on for help unraveling the mystery behind the disappearance of the bees. 波兰成为头一个正式确认世界范围对蜜蜂造成灾难的孟山都转基因玉米与“蜂群衰竭失调”( CCD )之间联系的国家,但是看来孟山都一直知道他们的转基因生物对蜜蜂造成这种危险。生物技术巨头孟山都最近收购了专业研究“蜂群衰竭失调”( CCD )的 Beeologics 公司。值得高度关注的是,美国农业部等政府机构依赖于这个公司帮助解开大量蜜蜂失踪后边的秘密。 Now that it’s owned by Monsanto, it’s very unlikely that Beeologics will investigate the links, but genetically engineered crops have been implicated in CCD for years now. 现在由孟山都拥有后,看来 Beeologics 公司不大可能研究孟山都转基因玉米与“蜂群衰竭失调”( CCD )之间的关联,但是人们怀疑转基因作物与 CCD 关联已经数年。 In one German study, when bees were released in a genetically engineered canola field, then fed the canola pollen to younger bees, scientists discovered the bacteria in the guts of the young bees took on the traits of the canola’s modified genes. That proves that GMO DNA in pollen can be transferred to bees though their digestive system. 在一项德国的研究中,当蜂蜜释放到转基因油菜田中,然后将油菜花粉喂给幼蜂,科学家发现幼蜂肠道中的细菌显现了油菜经修改的基因。这证实花粉中的转基因 DNA 可以通过它们的消化系统传递到蜜蜂中。 Many bee-keepers have turned to high-fructose corn syrup to feed their bees. High-fructose corn syrup is made from Monsanto’s genetically engineered corn and that corn is treated with Bayer’s neonicotinoid insecticides. 许多养蜂人转向喂食高果糖玉米糖浆给他们的蜜蜂。高果糖玉米糖浆由孟山都转基因玉米制作,而使用拜耳公司的 烟碱类 杀虫剂处理 这种玉米。 Bee colonies began disappearing in the U.S. one year after the EPA allowed these new insecticides on the market in 2004-2005. Even the EPA itself admits that “pesticide poisoning” is contributing to bee colony collapse. 值得关注的是,美国环境保护署( EPA )允许这些新的杀虫剂 2004-2005 年进入市场一年后,蜜蜂群开始在美国消失。甚至环境保护署( EPA )自己都承认“杀虫剂中毒”对蜜蜂群崩溃发挥了作用。 One of the observed effects of these insecticides is weakening of the bee’s immune system. Forager bees bring pesticide-laden pollen back to the hive, where it’s consumed by all of the bees. Six months later, their immune systems fail, and they fall prey to natural bee infections, such as parasites, mites, viruses, fungi and bacteria. Indeed, pathogens such as Varroa mites, Nosema, fungal and bacterial infections, and IAPV are found in large amounts in honey bee hives on the verge of collapse. 观察到的这些杀虫剂的效应致意是削弱蜜蜂的免疫系统。工蜂将杀虫剂污染的花粉带回蜂箱供所有的蜜蜂食用。六个月以后,它们的免疫系统失效,它们成为天然蜜蜂疾病的牺牲品,如急升现象、螨、病毒、真菌与细菌。确实,在接近崩溃蜂群的蜂箱中发现大量 Varroa 螨、 Nosema 病、真菌与细菌感染,以及 IAPV 。 Three recent studies implicate neonicotinoid insecticides, or “neonics” for short, which coat 142 million acres of corn, wheat, soy and cotton seeds in the U.S. alone. They are also a common ingredient in a wide variety of home gardening products. As detailed in an article published by Reuters , neonics are absorbed by the plants’ vascular system and contaminate the pollen and nectar that bees encounter on their rounds. Neonics are a nerve poison that disorient their insect victims and appear to damage the homing ability of bees, which may help to account for their mysterious failure to make it back to the hive. 最近有三项研究涉及 烟碱类 杀虫剂,简称“ neonics ”,仅在美国它们用于对种植在 1.42 亿英亩玉米、麦子、大豆与棉花种子进行涂层处理。他们也是家庭花园广泛产品使用的常见成分。路透社发表的一篇文章详细说明, 烟碱类 杀虫剂被作物的维管系统吸收,污染蜜蜂每轮采集的花粉与花蜜。 烟碱类 杀虫剂是一种神经毒素,使受害的昆虫迷失方向,并看来损害蜜蜂返回蜂巢的能力,这可能有助于解释它们无法返回它们的蜂箱的诡秘原因。 This was the conclusion of research which came out in the prestigious Journal Science . In another study , conducted by entomologists at Purdue University, the scientists found that neonic-containing dust released into the air at planting time had “lethal effects compatible with colony losses phenomena observed by beekeepers.” A third study by the Harvard School of Public Health actually re-created colony collapse disorder in several honeybee hives simply by administering small doses of a popular neonic, imidacloprid. 这就是有声望的《科学》杂志发表的研究的结论。另外一项研究中,由美国普度大学的昆虫学家们进行,科学家们发现,含有 烟碱类 杀虫剂的灰尘种植时释放到空气中,具有“养蜂农观察到的与蜂群消失现象协调的致命效果”。哈佛公共健康学院进行的第三项研究,通过服用小剂量通常使用的 烟碱类 杀虫剂醯亚氨,在数个蜂箱中重新创造了 “蜂群衰竭失调”( CCD )现象。 Occupy Monsanto Poland Dumps Thousands of Dead Bees in Protest 波兰《占领孟山都》游行倾倒数千死蜜蜂以示抗议 http://www.occupymonsanto360.org/2012/03/25/occupy-monsanto-poland-dumps-thousands-of-dead-bees-in-protest/ Occupy Monsanto / 占领孟山都网站 2012-03-25 On March 15, over 1,500 beekeepers and anti-GMO protesters marched through the streets of Warsaw, depositing thousands of dead bees on the steps of the Ministry of Agriculture in protest of genetically modified foods and their pesticides which are together largely responsible for the killing off of bees, butterflies, moths and other beneficial pollinators in great numbers. 2012 年 3 月 15 日 ,超过 1500 养蜂农与反对转基因生物活动者游行通过华沙的街道,将数千死蜜蜂倾倒在农业部的台阶上,抗议转基因作物及其使用的杀虫剂一起对大量屠杀蜜蜂、蝴蝶、蛾与其他有益的花粉传播昆虫有很大责任。 Later that day the Minister of Agriculture, Marek Sawicki, announced plans to ban MON810. 当天迟些时间,波兰农业部长 马雷克·萨维斯基宣布了禁止孟山都转基因 Bt 玉米 MON810 的计划。 The Polish Beekeepers Association organized the protest, joining forces with International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside (ICPPC) and the Coalition for a GMO Free Poland. Targeting Monsanto’s MON810 GM corn in particular, they also called for a complete ban on all genetically engineered crops as well as the pesticides found to be most damaging to the environment (and particularly to bees). 波兰《养蜂者协会》组织了这场抗议,并与《保护波兰农村国际同盟》( ICPPC )和《波兰无转基因同盟》联盟。以孟山都转基因 Bt 玉米 MON810 为特别目标,他们呼吁全面禁止所有的转基因作物以及发现对环境(以及特别蜜蜂)造成最严重损害。 In 2008, the Polish Parliament banned GM feed, including both the planting and importing of GM crops. “Despite this progressive step,” reports Food Travels , “the European Commission has refused to accept regional bans on GMOs, keeping Polish farmers, producers, and activists on the offensive.” 2008 年,波兰议会禁止了转基因饲料,包括禁止种植与进口转基因作物。“尽管这进步的一步”,《食品旅游》报告,“欧盟拒绝接受对转基因生物的地区性禁止,促使波兰农民、生厂商以及反对转基因的活动者们不得不展开攻击。” Regardless, says the ICPPC, “None of the nine European Union countries that have already prohibited MON 810 did so by asking the permission of the EU.” 无论如何,《保护波兰农村国际同盟》( ICPPC ),“欧洲已经禁止孟山都转基因 Bt 玉米 MON 810 的九个国家,没有一个是征求欧盟同意后这样做的。” There was a great variety of attire as beekeepers dressed in their work bee suits and masks and ran their hive smoke guns as they marched, many wore yellow jackets with the famous Einstein quote (“If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live , No more bees, no more pollination, no more men!" ) 游行的养蜂人中很多人穿着他们的养蜂工作服与面罩,而且游行时让他们的烟枪冒烟,许多人穿着黄色外套,上边写着爱因斯坦的名言。( “ 如果 蜜蜂 从地球上消失,那么人类也将只剩下四年的时间。没有 蜜蜂 ,那么就没有授粉,没有植物,没有人类 ” 。 ) The ICPPC is asking Polish residents to write Minister of Agriculture Marek Sawicki, demanding that he implement an immediate moratorium on GM crops, without waiting for EU approval. 《保护波兰农村国际同盟》( ICPPC )要求波兰居民写信给农业部长 马雷克·萨维斯基,要求他实施一项立即暂停转基因作物的命令,不要等待欧盟的批准。 Photos and cartoons of the Polish demonstrations: 波兰抗议转基因屠杀蜜蜂示威游行照片与漫画: http://festiwalstopgmo.pl/index.php/321-marsz-pszczelarzy 《凤凰卫视》 2012-01-22 视频:消失的蜜蜂 http://v.ifeng.com/documentary/society/201201/1b6031f2-4653-4813-9b0a-654f37122fc8.shtml Collapsing Colonies Are GM Crops Killing Bees? 蜂群崩溃:转基因作物是否在屠杀蜜蜂? http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,473166,00.html By/ 作者 Gunther Latsch 2007-03-22 22.03.2007 Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan 德文到英文译者: Christopher Sultan A mysterious decimation of bee populations has German beekeepers worried, while a similar phenomenon in the United States is gradually assuming catastrophic proportions. The consequences for agriculture and the economy could be enormous. 蜜蜂巨量神秘死亡使德国养蜂人担心,虽然类似的现象在美国逐渐发展达到灾难性程度。对农业和经济造成的后果可能极其巨大。 In an article in its business section in late February, the New York Times calculated the damage US agriculture would suffer if bees died out. Experts at Cornell University in upstate New York have estimated the value bees generate -- by pollinating fruit and vegetable plants, almond trees and animal feed like clover -- at more than $14 billion. 纽约时报 2007 年 2 月份商业专栏发表的一篇文章,对于如果蜜蜂死掉了将对美国的农业造成多大损失进行恶计算。纽约州康奈尔大学的专家们估计,蜜蜂产生的价值 –- 通过对水果与蔬菜、杏树与动物饲料用苜蓿进行授粉 – 其价值超过 140 亿美元。 Scientists call the mysterious phenomenon "Colony Collapse Disorder" (CCD), and it is fast turning into a national catastrophe of sorts. A number of universities and government agencies have formed a "CCD Working Group" to search for the causes of the calamity, but have so far come up empty-handed. But, like Dennis vanEngelsdorp, an apiarist with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, they are already referring to the problem as a potential "AIDS for the bee industry." 科学家将这种神秘的现象称为“ 蜂群衰竭失调”( CCD ),正在迅速变成某种全国性的灾难。许多大学与政府机构建立了“ CCD 工作组”寻求这场灾难的原因,但是到目前为止毫无结果。但是,像 Dennis vanEngelsdorp ,美国宾夕法尼亚州农业部的一位养蜂学家,已经将这个问题称之为潜在“养蜂业的艾滋病”。 One thing is certain: Millions of bees have simply vanished. In most cases, all that's left in the hives are the doomed offspring. But dead bees are nowhere to be found -- neither in nor anywhere close to the hives. Diana Cox-Foster, a member of the CCD Working Group, told The Independent that researchers were "extremely alarmed," adding that the crisis "has the potential to devastate the US beekeeping industry." It is particularly worrisome, she said, that the bees' death is accompanied by a set of symptoms "which does not seem to match anything in the literature." 有一件事已经确切:数百万蜜蜂无影无踪消失恶。大部分情况下,蜂箱中留下的是难逃一死的仔蜂。但是到处都找不到那些死了的蜜蜂 – 无论蜂箱中或者蜂箱附件都没有。 Diana Cox-Foster ,“ CCD 工作组”的一位成员,告诉《独立报》,他们这些研究者“极端警觉”,说这场危机“具有灭亡美国的养蜂业的潜力”。特别令人担心的是,这些蜜蜂的死亡伴随着一系列症状“与过去科学文献中的一切不相符”。 In many cases, scientists have found evidence of almost all known bee viruses in the few surviving bees found in the hives after most have disappeared. Some had five or six infections at the same time and were infested with fungi -- a sign, experts say, that the insects' immune system may have collapsed. 许多情况下,大部分蜜蜂消失后,在风向中剩余的少量蜜蜂中发现它们患有几乎所有已知蜜蜂疾病的证据。有时发现它们同时感染有六种蜜蜂传染病并遍布真菌 – 这是,专家们说,昆虫的免疫系统可能崩溃的迹象。 The scientists are also surprised that bees and other insects usually leave the abandoned hives untouched. Nearby bee populations or parasites would normally raid the honey and pollen stores of colonies that have died for other reasons, such as excessive winter cold. "This suggests that there is something toxic in the colony itself which is repelling them," says Cox-Foster. 令科学家们还惊讶的是,蜜蜂与其他昆虫通常离开被放弃的蜂箱其他昆虫不再接触它。如果蜂群由于其他原因死亡了的话,例如过于严寒的冬天,邻近的蜜蜂群或寄生虫通常会侵袭这些蜂箱,盗走其中储存的蜂蜜与花粉。(这种情况没有发生 — 译注)“这提议蜂群中有某种毒素使它们厌恶”, Cox-Foster 说。 Walter Haefeker, board of directors of the German Beekeepers Association (DBIB) and is vice president of the European Professional Beekeepers Association … Walter Haefeker, the German beekeeping official, speculates that "besides a number of other factors," the fact that genetically modified, insect-resistant plants are now used in 40 percent of cornfields in the United States could be playing a role. The figure is much lower in Germany -- only 0.06 percent -- and most of that occurs in the eastern states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg. Haefeker recently sent a researcher at the CCD Working Group some data from a bee study that he has long felt shows a possible connection between genetic engineering and diseases in bees. 华尔特·海菲克,德国养蜂协会理事、欧洲职业性养蜂者协会副总裁 … 华尔特·海菲克,德国养蜂官员,猜测“除了其他一些因素”,转基因改造的抗虫作物目前在美国玉米农田 40% 面积种植可能起作用。在德国这个比例低得多 – 只有 0.06% -- 而且绝大部分仅种植在德国东北的州,如 Mecklenburg -Western Pomerania 与 Brandenburg 。海菲克较长时间感到有一项研究表明转基因与蜜蜂疾病之间的可能关联,将该项研究的一些数据提供给了“ CCD 工作组”的一位研究员。 The study in question is a small research project conducted at the University of Jena from 2001 to 2004. 这是在 Jena 大学 2001 至 2004 年期间进行的一项小规模的研究项目。 The researchers examined the effects of pollen from a genetically modified maize variant called "Bt corn" on bees. A gene from a soil bacterium had been inserted into the corn that enabled the plant to produce an agent that is toxic to insect pests. The study concluded that there was no evidence of a "toxic effect of Bt corn on healthy honeybee populations." But when, by sheer chance, the bees used in the experiments were infested with a parasite, something eerie happened. According to the Jena study, a "significantly stronger decline in the number of bees" occurred among the insects that had been fed a highly concentrated Bt poison feed. 研究者们研究了称之为“ Bt 玉米”的转基因玉米的花粉对于蜜蜂的作用。“ Bt 玉米”插入了来自土壤细菌的一个基因是作物产生对昆虫害虫有毒的毒素。该项研究的结论是没有“ Bt 玉米对健康蜜蜂群有毒性效应”的证据。但是,完全由于意外,实验中使用的蜜蜂感染了一种寄生物,发生了一项令人恐惧的事情。根据 Jena 大学的试验,喂食了高剂量 Bt 毒素饲料的蜜蜂“蜜蜂数量发生了显著急剧的减少”。 According to Hans-Hinrich Kaatz, a professor at the University of Halle in eastern Germany and the director of the study, the bacterial toxin in the genetically modified corn may have "altered the surface of the bee's intestines, sufficiently weakening the bees to allow the parasites to gain entry -- or perhaps it was the other way around. We don't know." 根据该项研究主任,东德 Halle 大学 Hans-Hinrich Kaatz 教授的意见,转基因玉米中的细菌性毒素可能“改变了蜜蜂肠道的内壁,削弱了蜜蜂阻止寄生虫侵入的能力 – 或者发生了与此相反的作用。我们不知道。” Of course, the concentration of the toxin was ten times higher in the experiments than in normal Bt corn pollen. In addition, the bee feed was administered over a relatively lengthy six-week period. 当然,该项实验中使用的毒素比通常的 Bt 玉米花粉毒素剂量的十倍。而且,对蜜蜂喂食这种饲料的时间长达 6 周。 Kaatz would have preferred to continue studying the phenomenon but lacked the necessary funding. "Those who have the money are not interested in this sort of research," says the professor, "and those who are interested don't have the money." Kaatz 教授希望对这种现象进一步研究,但是缺乏必要的经费。“那些有钱的对这样的研究没有兴趣”,教授说,“而那些对从事这样的研究有兴趣的研究者则没有钱。”
Photos shot today, March 11, 2012. About 1 week earlier than last year 2010 (March 17, 2011, I posted a first bees of 2010 , and also posted some crocus shots on crocus shots on March 28 ). Last week Wednesday Alex was working with bees and saw some pollen coming in, so I thought the crocus must be open and indeed the yellow ones on my front yard were starting to bloom. Crocus is always one of the first batch of flowers to bloom, with skunk cabbage and winter aconite perhaps slightly ahead. These flowers provide the first pollen that the bees need critically (we gave them some pollen substitute last week, but still, nothing beats the real thing when it comes to pollen). I waited till around 3 pm today, when it reached 18C (65F) to see if my half a mile away neighbor’s crocus would have bees. 1. The lonely flower. 2. A nice patch. 3. Here come the bees! 4. Working hard on pollen. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Working on a yellow one. 11. Silver maple also blooming…did not see bees. 12. Red maple is still 1 week or more away. 13. Pussy willow is probably 3-4 days away, soon they will be filled with bees. 14. lantern flowers (Helleborus, Renunculaceae)
应该是上过哈佛大学森林公园(Arnold Arboretum)杂志 (Arnoldia)的小蜜。 说明没有片费的, 我说哈佛大学的杂志, 我送吧。 他们后来给我寄来2本印好的杂志。 1. 这个是四川大学到看熊猫的路上拍的。 是正骨草的花。 我所知的唯一的整个小花变成蜜腺的花。 你看那小蜜的舌头正舔的, 黄色的小碗儿, 就是一个蜜腺。 其它白色的是正常的小花。 这些黄色的蜜腺, 大概10-15%混在花中, 吸引蜜蜂去采蜜, 采蜜的过程中, 把花粉给传了。 而珙桐呢, 是很不同的另外一个植物。 第一个特殊, 是因为属名(Davidia)和科名(Davidiaceae),都是按俺家儿子取名的 。(别急, 俺家女儿也有植物名字的, 以后再表)。 而且她们开花的时候, 白色的苞片象雨伞把花保护起来, 远看象满树的白鸽要飞起来, 怪不得英文就叫鸽子树,Dove Tree。鸽子代表和平, 我站在树下是有和平的感觉, 那些花没有鲜艳的颜色, 但随着鸽子在风中的飞舞,我能闻到阵阵的幽香。 我现在找不到她们的E了。 不记得是一定要中蜂的片片(好象是), 还是没有提是关于珙桐这个植物的(好象也是)。 反正我有一个小蜜在这个珙桐花上, 是2011年5月在纽约的植物园拍的。 但是没有给他们。 还有可能就是2010年就问我要片片了, 或是2011年5月前要的。 反正是我有片没有机会给他们, 最后使他们片不对题。 因为文章是关于珙桐的白色苞片对花起雨伞的作用,以及对蜜蜂的吸引, 但是我的片片是中蜂采正骨草。 为了服务文章, 如果有紫外的片片就更好了。 我那次没有带紫外镜头。 也不知道白色苞片会吸收紫外线。 这是黄老师的文章(不是我, 见下面链接)提出的, 我当然是受到杂志才学习到这些的。 2.我拍的珙桐花。 3. 好远的地方有一个小蜜。 在采粉! 武汉大学黄双全教授和同事的文章在这里: http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/2011-68-3-white-bracts-of-the-dove-tree-davidia-involucrata-umbrella-and-pollinator-lure.pdf 根据 张珑 提供的资料, 修正的百度: 珙桐为落叶乔木。可生长到20-25米高,叶子广卵形,边缘有锯齿。本科植物只有一种,两个品种。 只是一种叶面有毛,另一种是光面。花奇色美,是1000万年前新生代第三纪留下的 孑遗植物 ,在第四纪冰川时期,大部分地区的珙桐相继灭绝,只有在我国南方的一些地区幸存下来,成为了植物界今天的“活化石”。 英文介绍 The Genus currently contains only one speciesand was named in honor of Père Armand David, one of the most prolific of the French missionary plant explorers. It was believed to have been extinct after the glacial era, however, in late 19th century some specimens were found in Sichuan, China. Scientific Name: Davidia involucrata From Wiki:这段历史好玩。 1905很晚啊。 一个科的唯一种! The species was introduced from China to Europe and North America in 1904, and is a popular ornamental tree in larger gardens. Most trees in cultivation are var. vilmoriniana , which has proved much better able to adapt to the climatic conditions in Europe and North America . The genus Davidia is named after Father Armand David (1826–1900), ("Père David"), a French Vincentian missionary and keen naturalist who lived in China, and who is also commemorated in the Chinese White Pine Pinus armandii and Père David's Deer . He was also the first westerner to describe another rare Chinese endemic, the Giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ). Although it was David who first described the tree in 1905, a single tree found at over 2,000 metres altitude, his specimens were lost in a boat wreck on the Han River rapids. Scottish plant hunter Augustine Henry again found a single tree, this time in the Yangtse Ichang gorges and sent the first specimen to Kew Gardens . Plant collector Ernest Henry Wilson was employed by Sir Harry Veitch to find Henry's tree but arrived to find that it had been felled for building purposes; however he later found a grove of the trees overhanging a sheer drop. Wilson too had his boat wrecked but managed to save his Davidia specimens.
哈佛大学的生物化学和分子生物学系(后改成分子和细胞生物学系),有些教授不仅科学杰出,而且参与国家事务,其中Paul Doty最近去世,另一位是分子生物学家Matthew Meselson(1930-)。Doty参与裁军和军备竞赛方面的工作,Meselson除了裁军,还对化学和生物武器有重要影响。 Meselson最重要的科学工作是他和Frank Stahl证明DNA复制的半保留模式。半保留模式是Watson和Crick提出,认为在DNA复制的时候,双链螺旋的DNA解开,每条单链分别作为模板指导一条新链合成,新的链与其模板DNA链互补。除了半保留模式,还有其他可能,比如,物理出身的生物学家、加州理工学院的Max Delbruck提出分段复制,每条链复制5个核苷酸、再换另外一条链,而哥伦比亚大学的Bloch提出全保留复制,也就是DNA两条链同时作为模板被复制。 Meselson大学学化学,毕业后因为和化学家Linus Pauling的儿子玩,据他说是有一次游泳的时候遇见Pauling问他要做什么后,被建议他到Pauling实验室做研究生,他的研究生论文是X线结晶分析。 但是,Meselson在加州理工学院做研究生期间,在化学系的Pauling办公室,听他和生物系的Delbruck讨论DNA复制,从而对此问题感兴趣。Meselson暑期在Woods Hole海洋实验室培训班听说Frank Stalh很会做实验,他们交往后讨论和设计了很巧妙的实验,利用轻重不同的氮同位素、将新技术(密度梯度离心)引入生物学证明DNA复制的半保留模式。Meselson 和Stahl文章发表于1958年,他们的实验曾多年为很多生物化学和分子生物学教科书叙述,英国科学家John Cairns曾称之为“生物学最漂亮的实验”,2001年耶鲁大学医学史系主任Holmes以此为材料写书,题为《Meselson、Stahl和DNA复制--生物学最漂亮实验的历史》。1960年起Meselson在哈佛生物系任教,到90年代他的研究不很多,但暑假系里在海边活动时,他和年轻人聊天,介绍科学历程和一些有趣的故事。 他从1963年开始参与裁军有关的活动。1980年代,他参与否定美国政府指责苏联在印度支那使用生物武器和化学武器。当时,美国国务院两任国务卿(黑格和舒尔茨)、美国中央情报局都公开指控苏联在老挝、柬埔寨使用生化武器,制造“黄雨”。美国科学家中,起很大作用的是Meselson,证明所谓的生化武器是自然现象:蜜蜂的粪便。他们还在实地考察遇到大批蜜蜂群飞排放。 Meselson等1983年知道中国的《科学通报》上已经报道中国境内有过黄雨,而且提出和证明是蜜蜂的粪便。原文是1977南京大学张忠英、陈玉明、周曙、李敏等发表的“苏北‘黄雨’的花粉分析及其成因探讨”。在1976年9月江苏北部一些地区发生黄雨以后,南京大学的学者们做的研究,持续到八十年代。 Meselson等用南京大学的文章说明红色中国也曾为此迷惑而已经解谜,不是什么新的武器。美国政府在面对美国科学家提出质疑后起初狡辩、后来内部承认了,但从未对美国科学家承认、更未公开承认自己搞错了、冤枉了苏联。1986年美国国庆日,美国的《科学》杂志记者曾发表报道,继续澄清事实、在国庆日不避讳难堪政府。 美国对于黄雨的工作,Meselson仔细描绘了哈佛和Smithsonian博物馆的学者一步一步的剖析。 这项有重要意义的工作,首创为文革后期研究条件不好、而能认真工作的中国南京大学张忠英等科学家。 文献: 《自然》对Paul Doty (1920-2011)的报道:Rice SA Haselkorn R (2012). Paul Mead Doty (1920–2011). Nature 481:266-266. Meselson and Stahl工作的背景和论文 Meselson录像介绍其1958年发表的研究工作:http://ibiomagazine.org/issues/september-2011-issue/matthew-meselson.html Watson JD, Crick FHC (1953) Genetical implications of the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid. Nature 171:964-967. Watson JD, and Crick FH (1953). The structure of DNA. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol 18:123–31. Delbrück M (1954). On the replication of desoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 40:783–8. Bloch DP (1955). A possible mechanism for the replication of the helical structure of desoxyribonucleic acid. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 41:1058–64. Delbrück, Max; Stent, Gunther S. (1957). "On the mechanism of DNA replication". In McElroy, William D.; Glass, Bentley. A Symposium on the Chemical Basis of Heredity. Johns Hopkins Pr.. pp.699–736. Meselson M and Stahl FW (1958). The replication of DNA in Escherichia coli. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 44:671–82. 黄雨研究 张忠英、陈玉明、周曙、李敏 (1977):苏北“黄雨”的花粉分析及其成因探讨. 科学通报22:409-412. Chang Chung-ying, Chen Yu-ming, Chou Shu, and Li Min (1977) “A Study of the Origin and the Pollen Analysis of ‘Yellow Rains’ in Northern Kiangsu,” Kexue Tongbao 22: 409-12. Hay A (1983). Yellow Rain: Fresh Support for Apian Origin Nature 306:8. Nowicke JW and Meselson M (1984) Yellow rain—a palynological a nalysis. Nature 309:205-206. Earl C (1984) Thai bees’ faeces found. Nature 308:485. Marshall E (1986). Yellow rain evidence slowly whittled away. Science 233: 18-19. Meselson, Matthew S. and Julian Perry Robinson (2008). The Yellow Rain Affair: Lessons from a Discredited Allegation. Chap. 4 in Terrorism, War, or Disease? Unraveling the Use of Biological Weapons. Stanford, Calif., Stanford University Press.
明天要去海地义工2周, 估计在那里很难上网的。 1.这个是刚出来不久的。 2011年9月。 新英格兰菊花, 应该是2006年在Tennessee拍的。 5年后才发表。 但还是比我的有些文章要快! 2. Prof. Norman Gary 刚出的书, 用俺的小蜜当封面, 还给250大洋。 谢谢了! 3. 蓝莓Blueberry 4.Crimson Clover (绛红三叶草?我瞎翻译), 台湾大学校园拍的。 5. Autumn Olive沙棘 6. Apple苹果 Crocus — the bee was so anxious that she went inside even before the flower was fully open. 7. 番红花 -- 这个比较难得。 还还没有开, 小蜜迫不及待进去, 而且位置很好, 象要Hatch的“蜜蛋”。 8. Basswood (linden)椴树花 9. Toad lily, a plant introduced from China.中国引进到美国的 油點草 这次应该大家能看到所有照片!(2011年12月29号修改)
昨天下午,美国自然历史博物馆2位蜜蜂专家抵达动物研究所,开始和研究组成员为期1个月的合作研究工作。 Jerry (Jerome G. Rozen, Jr., Ph.D.) 已经83岁了,仍然坚持要去野外考察。他是世界蜜蜂,特别是巢穴生物学的专家。他和吴燕如研究员聊天的时候提到:世界蜜蜂顶尖研究专家, Charles Duncan Michener已经93岁,因此他仍然年青。尽管Jerry和John ( John S. Ascher, Ph.D.)昨天下午刚刚到达北京,今天一早就让牛泽清博士带他们去颐和园和北京植物园考察蜜蜂。明天在白羊沟考察1天。他们的敬业精神值得组员和研究生学习。 他们将于本周五在动物研究所动物标本馆分别做报告,信息如下 - 题 目:New Insights into Bee Cleptoparasitism 报告人:Jerome G. Rozen, Jr., PhD Curator and Professor Division of Invertebrate Zoology American Museum of Natural History Central Park W. @ 79th Street New York, NY 10024 http://research.amnh.org/iz/staff/dr-jerome-g-rozen-jr 题目:Collaborative specimen databasing of North American bee collections using web-based tools 报告人:John S. Ascher, Ph.D. Bee Database Project Manager Division of Invertebrate Zoology American Museum of Natural History Central Park West @ 79th St. New York, NY 10024-5192 http://research.amnh.org/iz/staff/dr-john-ascher 时 间:2011年5月20日上午9点30分 地 点:动物所标本馆,D112会议室