Kat Smith – News Editor – LIVEKINDLYBee-free, vegan honey made from organic sweet potatoes is now a thing. Lovers of sweet-and-spicy combos can also buy cayenne pepper-infused date nectar.Both of the better-for-you sweeteners are made by LA-based D’vash Organics, a brand that specializes in date nectar, an alternative to honey, maple syrup, and agave nectar. According to the company, its new Sweet Potato Nectar is made from 100 percent organic Carolina sweet potatoes. Like its flagship date nect …

By: Kenny Walter – Digital Reporter – @RandDMagazineKevin Wang holds a flask of cells that have been engineered to produce the Regina protein, a mammalian protein similar in structure to the active component of honeybee royal jelly. Credit: Paul SakumaA protein used by honey bees could hold the key to a fountain of youth for embryonic stem cells.Researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine found a mammalian protein—NHLRC3— that helps prevent embryonic stem cell aging in mice by ca …

By Bob Yirka – Phys.OrgA team of researchers at the University of Sydney has discovered a honey bee gynandromorph with two fathers and no mother—the first ever of its kind observed in nature. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, the group describes their study of honey bee gynandromorphs and what they found.Honey bees are haplodiploid creatures—which means that females develop from fertilized eggs, while males arise from eggs that are not fertilized. Because of this, hon …

In spite of concerns about freezing weather during almond bloom, the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is predicting a record crop in 2018.MODESTO, Calif. – According to the NASS 2018 Almond Subjective Forecast issued today, California almond orchards are expected to produce 2.30 billion pounds of nuts this year, up 1.3% from last year’s 2.27 billion-pound crop.[1]“Almond farmers used a variety of techniques to manage freezing nighttime temperatures i …

The black bump on this honey bee’s back is a varroa mite. Mites weaken bees’ immune systems, transmit viruses, and siphon off nutrients. Photo by Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service. By: Scott Weybright – College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences PULLMAN, Wash. – Saving honey bees is easier when varroa mite infestation is reduced. WSU researchers are hoping mid-season hibernation can help in the fight against the mighty mites.Varroa mites are pests t …