Effective pest management approaches can mitigate honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony winter loss across a range of weather conditions in small-scale, stationary apiaries.

Managed honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies in North America and Europe have experienced high losses in recent years, which have been linked to weather conditions, lack of quality forage, and high parasite loads, particularly the obligate brood parasite, Varroa destructor. These factors may interact at various scales to have compounding effects on honey bee health, but few studies have been able to simultaneously investigate the effects of weather conditions, landscape factors, and management of parasites. We analyzed a dataset of 3,210 survey responses from beekeepers in Pennsylvania from 2017 to 2022 and combined these with remotely sensed weather variables and novel datasets about seasonal forage availability into a Random Forest model to investigate drivers of winter loss. We found that beekeepers who used treatment against Varroa had higher colony survival than those who did not treat. Moreover, beekeepers who used multiple types of Varroa treatment had higher colony survival rates than those who used 1 type of treatment. Our models found weather conditions are strongly associated with survival, but multiple-treatment type colonies had higher survival across a broader range of climate conditions. These findings suggest that the integrated pest management approach of combining treatment types can potentially buffer managed honey bee colonies from adverse weather conditions.

Nocardiosis in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven region from 2010 to 2019.

ABSTRACT: Nocardia species are a diverse group of gram-positive bacteria that are encountered as pathogens in clinical practice. They are ubiquitous environmental organisms classically causing opportunistic infections in immunocompromised individuals. This case series describes the epidemiological, microbiological and clinical features of 26 culture-proven cases of nocardiosis presenting to the public healthcare service in a regional area of New South Wales over a ten year period. These cases involved ten distinct species of Nocardia and appeared to demonstrate increasing incidence over time. The majority of Nocardia isolates (88%) were grown on conventional bacteriological media and speciation was primarily via 16S rRNA sequencing and/or matrix assisted laser desorption ionisation-time of flight mass spectrometry. Similar to other Australian Nocardia studies, the isolates seen in this case series were universally susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. This was reflected in treatment data, with all but one patient receiving this agent as part of their antibiotic regimen. While similar case series have been reported from other Australian states, there are no published clinical studies of nocardiosis in New South Wales. Given the nature of Nocardia species as an environmental saprophyte, this study examined the association between incidence of nocardiosis and regional geographic or climatic variation but was unable to demonstrate a statistically significant correlation.

Incorporating recreational users into marine protected area planning: a study of recreational boating in British Columbia, Canada.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) and zoning plans require an understanding of stakeholders if they are to be successful at achieving social and biological objectives. This study examines recreational boaters in a proposed MPA in British Columbia, Canada, using the recreation opportunity spectrum (ROS) and models of recreation conflict as a basis for investigation. Boaters (n = 543) visiting the region during the summer completed face-to-face surveys. Results show variability in boater setting preferences, supporting an ROS-based approach to MPA planning and zoning. While boaters as a whole placed the greatest importance on natural settings, sailboat operators expressed stronger preferences for natural and quiet settings relative to motorboats, and motorboat operators expressed stronger preferences for settings characterized by built facilities and extractive activities relative to sailboats. Several marine activities emerged as sources of perceived conflict for boaters, including personal watercraft, commercial whale watching vessels, and shellfish aquaculture. Our analysis indicates that while some of these may be addressed through zoning, others are better addressed through education and communication. Recommendations for both MPA management and future research are made.