SMITING THE MITE TO SAVE THE BEES . . . WITH CALVES AT $2, ATTENTION TO DETAIL PAYS DIVIDENDS . . . GO SLOW ON FRACKING, SCIENTISTS WARN . . . BEWARE OF LYME

SMITING THE MITE TO SAVE THE BEES
Source: NPR
How do you like them apples, apricots, blueberries, almonds and peaches? They all depend on bees for pollination. But over the last several years, a massive number of bee colonies have died, putting beekeepers, farmers and scientists in a bit of a panic. They’ve come up with a lot of reasons why colonies are collapsing and dwindling. (read more)

WITH CALVES AT $2, ATTENTION TO DETAIL PAYS DIVIDENDS
Source: Canadian Cattlemen
Early in the new year, I was at a local beef meeting where a group of cattlemen was discussing what they see as an issue with spring calving, that being a small but nevertheless disturbing increase in the number of open cows in the fall. The discussion included producers, extension specialists and researchers and focused on a variety of potential reasons to explain the increase without coming to any consensus as to the extent of the problem or the reasons behind it. (read more)

GO SLOW ON FRACKING, SCIENTISTS WARN
Source; The Globe and Mail
Canadians face a Pandora’s box of potential environmental and health risks as the oil industry charges forward with hydraulic fracturing techniques that are needed to unlock vast natural gas and oil deposits across the country, says a new report for the federal government. In a 260-page study to be released Thursday, the expert panel concluded that there simply isn’t enough known about the impacts of hydraulic fracturing – or fracking – to declare it safe, and that key elements of the provinces’ regulatory systems “are not based on strong science and remain untested” while there is virtually no federal regulation. (read more)

BEWARE OF LYME
A resolution introduced in Province House this week proclaims May as Lyme Disease Awareness Month. Although ticks can be active all year, depending upon the temperature, the spring and fall are their most active times. Black-legged ticks have now been found in all areas of Nova Scotia. No matter where you live, you might come in contact with a black-legged tick. Although not all ticks carry disease, the percentage that do is steadily climbing. To confuse matters even more, Lyme disease is not the only disease that ticks can carry. Veterinarians are seeing higher incidences of Lyme, anaplasmosis and bartonellosis. Other things can also be transmitted, making an accurate diagnosis next to impossible. Therefore, prevention is key. If you see a tick, keep it and send it off for testing. That way, you can find out what it was carrying (depending upon the tests under taken. Because of the large number of people dealing with tick-borne diseases in the province, a Lyme support group has recently been started. The next meeting is May 12 at 7 pm at Bedford Masonic Hall. All are welcome. Donna Lugar, N.S. representative, Canadian National Lyme & Associated Diseases Society, Bedford. (read more)