Winter Losses Research Articles

Assessment and Prediction of Health and Agricultural Impact from Combined PM2.5 and O3 Pollution in China

Combined PM2.5 and O3 pollution in China has caused negative health impacts on residents and reduced crop yields. The quantitative assessment and prediction of these impacts could provide a scientific basis for policy development. This study assessed the nationwide premature mortality, health effects, and crop damage attributable to PM2.5 and O3 pollution in 2019, and projected the associated health and agricultural losses under a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario for 2025. The economic benefits of improving air quality under different policy scenarios, including the 14th Five-Year Plan (FFP), Secondary Standard Limit (SSL), and Primary Standard Limit (PSL), were also explored. The results showed PM2.5 pollution in 2019 resulted in 246,000 all-cause premature deaths and the economic health loss was RMB 196.509 billion. Similarly, O3 pollution caused 186,300 premature deaths and the economic health loss was RMB 155.807 billion. O3 pollution has led to a loss of 28.5241 million tonnes of crop production and an economic loss of RMB 62.268 billion. Compared with 2019, the avoidable premature deaths from PM2.5 under different scenarios in 2025 were 50,600, 43,000, and 200,300 cases, respectively, exceeding the number of avoided premature deaths from O3 pollution. Compared with the BAU, reducing PM2.5 under different scenarios could generate economic benefits of RMB 70.178 billion, RMB 60.916 billion, and RMB 229.268 billion. Furthermore, the FFP scenario outperformed the SSL in mitigating winter wheat production losses caused by O3 pollution. These results provide important scientific support for the development and evaluation of future comprehensive pollution control measures for PM2.5 and O3.

First large-scale study reveals important losses of managed honey bee and stingless bee colonies in Latin America

Over the last quarter century, increasing honey bee colony losses motivated standardized large-scale surveys of managed honey bees (Apis mellifera), particularly in Europe and the United States. Here we present the first large-scale standardized survey of colony losses of managed honey bees and stingless bees across Latin America. Overall, 1736 beekeepers and 165 meliponiculturists participated in the 2-year survey (2016–2017 and 2017–2018). On average, 30.4% of honey bee colonies and 39.6% of stingless bee colonies were lost per year across the region. Summer losses were higher than winter losses in stingless bees (30.9% and 22.2%, respectively) but not in honey bees (18.8% and 20.6%, respectively). Colony loss increased with operation size during the summer in both honey bees and stingless bees and decreased with operation size during the winter in stingless bees. Furthermore, losses differed significantly between countries and across years for both beekeepers and meliponiculturists. Overall, winter losses of honey bee colonies in Latin America (20.6%) position this region between Europe (12.5%) and the United States (40.4%). These results highlight the magnitude of bee colony losses occurring in the region and suggest difficulties in maintaining overall colony health and economic survival for beekeepers and meliponiculturists.

Impact of irrigation on vulnerability of winter wheat under extreme climate change scenario: a case study of North China Plain

An inadequate understanding of the impacts of adaptation countermeasures tends to exaggerate the adverse effects of climate change on agricultural systems. Motivated by proposing reasonable climate change adaptation countermeasures, the present study applied the EPIC model to quantify the impacts of climate change and irrigation changes with future socioeconomic development on agricultural production. Winter wheat yield losses using dynamic irrigation parameters in the North China Plain (NCP) from 2010 to 2099 under a scenario coupling climate change and future socioeconomic development (RCP8.5-SSP3), and those under an extreme climate change scenario (RCP8.5), were simulated. Results show that EPIC model demonstrates superior performance in simulating winter wheat yields in NCP (RMSE = 12.79 kg/ha), with the distribution of simulated and observed yields is relatively consistent. The winter wheat yield loss in the NCP was high in the south and low in the north. The yield loss rate of winter wheat was 0.21 under the RCP8.5-SSP3 scenario, compared with 0.35 under the RCP8.5 scenario, indicating a superior climatic adaptation of irrigation. However, under the RCP8.5-SSP3 scenario, the yield loss rate increased from 0.17 in the near term to 0.26 in the long term, implying the benefits of irrigation will be diminished with long-term climate change. It is noteworthy that yield improvement was facilitated by irrigation in part of the NCP (accounting for 14.6% area), suggesting that irrigation may lead to an increase in winter wheat yields in some regions even under extreme climate change conditions. This study highlights the significance of quantitatively revealing the benefits and limitations of adaptive countermeasures which could assist in enhancing climate change adaptation while preserving a sustainable agricultural system.

Root water uptake and water transport to above-ground organs compensate for winter water losses and prevent shoot dehydration in apple trees

Plants need to maintain a minimum moisture content in their tissues to preserve their living functions not only during the growing season but also during periods of dormancy. Whereas water uptake of trees during the growing season has been widely investigated, very little attention has been paid to tree water uptake and losses during winter dormancy. A study was therefore conducted aiming at quantifying root water uptake of apple trees in winter, comparing the water content of two groups of field-grown apple trees for two winter seasons. One group of trees was isolated from its roots by a transversal cut at the base of the trunk and the other was left intact. In an additional experiment, deuterium-enriched water was added to the soil of potted apple trees during winter dormancy, to monitor water uptake and translocation within the plant. The field experiment revealed incrementing moisture losses of annual shoots in late winter, driven by the rising evaporative demand of the atmosphere. Trees with unimpaired water transport systems compensated shoot water losses by root water uptake and internal translocation, whereas trees with severed trunks only partially mitigated losses by internal translocation from trunk and larger branches. Root water uptake during winter dormancy was also confirmed in the potted tree experiment with deuterium-enriched water. This work provides evidence that water flow along the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum in apple trees takes place also in winter, with possible impacts on tree survival during prolonged periods of soil or trunk freezing.

Winter mortality, diversification, and self-sufficiency affect honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colony profit in Canada: a model of commercial Alberta beekeepers.

Canadian beekeepers faced widespread levels of high honey bee colony mortality over the winter of 2021/2022, with an average winter loss of 45%. To understand the economic impact of winter colony mortality in Canada and the beekeeping management strategies used to mitigate these losses, we develop a profit model of commercial beekeeping operations in Alberta, Canada. Our model shows that for operations engaging in commercial pollination as well as honey production (compared to honey production alone), per colony profit is higher and operations are better able to withstand fluctuations in exogenous variables such as prices and environmental factors affecting productivity including winter mortality rates. The results also suggest that beekeeping operations that replace winter colony losses with splits instead of package bees accrue higher per colony profit than those importing packages to replace losses. Further, operations that produce their own queens to use in their replacement splits, accrue even higher profit. Our results demonstrate that the profitability of beekeeping operations is dependent on several factors including winter mortality rates, colony replacement strategies, and the diversification of revenue sources. Beekeepers who are not as susceptible to price and risk fluctuations in international markets and imported bee risks accrue more consistently positive profits.

Significant, but not biologically relevant: Nosema ceranae infections and winter losses of honey bee colonies

The Western honey bee Apis mellifera, which provides about 90% of commercial pollination, is under threat from diverse abiotic and biotic factors. The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor vectoring deformed wing virus (DWV) has been identified as the main biotic contributor to honey bee colony losses worldwide, while the role of the microsporidium Nosema ceranae is still controversially discussed. In an attempt to solve this controversy, we statistically analyzed a unique data set on honey bee colony health collected from a cohort of honey bee colonies over 15 years and comprising more than 3000 data sets on mite infestation levels, Nosema spp. infections, and winter losses. Multivariate statistical analysis confirms that V. destructor is the major cause of colony winter losses. Although N. ceranae infections are also statistically significantly correlated with colony losses, determination of the effect size reveals that N. ceranae infections are of no or low biological relevance.

Four-Year Overview of Winter Colony Losses in Greece: Citizen Science Evidence That Transitioning to Organic Beekeeping Practices Reduces Colony Losses

The honey bee is one of the most important pollinators with a close relationship to humans. The questionnaire from the non-governmental association "COLOSS", answered by beekeepers around the world, is a valuable tool for monitoring and analyzing factors involved in overwintering losses, as well as for understanding the evolution of the beekeeping sector over the years. Between 2018-2021, Greece's participation in this survey involved collecting data from 752 beekeepers and 81,903 hives, from almost the whole country, with a stable balance between professional/non-professional participants and hives, providing a solid representation of the beekeeping practices and winter losses during this period. The results of this study identify a transition towards more natural beekeeping practices concomitant with a significant decrease in winter losses (average losses in 2018: 22.3% and 2019: 24%, dropped in 2020: 14.4% and 2021: 15.3%). Indeed, some factors, such as the increased use of natural landscapes for honey production (from 66.7% usage in 2018 to 76.3% in 2021) and the reduction in the exclusive use of synthetic acaricides (from 24.7% usage in 2018 to 6.7% in 2021) seem to have a significant impact on hive survival. Although these correlations remain to be confirmed experimentally, our study shows that Greek beekeepers follow recommendations and policies toward more sustainable practices. In the future, these trends could be further analyzed and integrated into training programs to strengthen the cooperation and information exchange between citizens and science.

Size‐associated energetic constraints on the seasonal onset of reproduction in a species with indeterminate growth

The seasonal onset of reproduction is constrained in many systems by a need to first accumulate energetic reserves. Consequently, the observation that larger individuals reproduce earlier may be due to a negative relationship between size and mass‐specific basal metabolic rate that is shared across diverse taxa. However, an untested prediction of this hypothesis is that individuals should be metabolically efficient enough to escape energetic constraints above a certain size threshold. Seasonally reproducing species, such as temperate fishes, that must recover winter energy losses before reproduction and exhibit indeterminate growth are ideal models to test this prediction. We harness decade‐long behavioral data on parental male smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu, to investigate contributions of energetic allometry to differences in reproductive timing. At the population level, peak seasonal reproductive timing (i.e. the median date on which eggs were found in nests each year) was negatively related to degree days – a measure of thermal energy experienced – before reproduction. At the individual level, degree days accumulated by males before reproduction was related to male size and condition in every year, but the impact of temperature on reproductive timing by the largest males was relaxed in most years. Additionally, we used our data to replicate the analyses of two previous studies of M. dolomieu populations and found virtually identical negative associations between male body size and degree days accumulated before reproduction. Our results suggest that in smallmouth bass the onset of seasonal reproduction is constrained by basal metabolic rate – as indicated by total length – and that large individuals can escape size‐associated energetic constraints. We reveal a more complicated relationship between size and reproductive timing than earlier studies, which may be relevant for many species. Knowledge of this relationship is critical to understanding how a changing climate will influence population dynamics of economically, ecologically and recreationally important species like M. dolomieu.

Metagenomic analysis of viromes in honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera; Hymenoptera: Apidae) after mass disappearance in Korea.

After the nationwide, massive winter losses of honey bees in Korea during the winter of 2021, samplings were conducted from live honey bees in colonies and dead honey bees nearby colonies in the same bee-farms in six regions in Korea. Each sample was subjected to virome analysis using high-throughput sequencing technology. The number of viral reads was the lowest in the live honey bee group sample with 370,503 reads and the highest in the dead honey bee group sample with 42,659,622 reads. Viral contigs were matched with the viral genomes of the black queen cell virus, deformed wing virus, Israeli acute paralysis virus, and sacbrood virus, all of which have been previously reported in Korea. However, Apis rhabdovirus 5, bee macula-like virus, Varroa orthomyxovirus-1, Hubei partiti-like virus 34, Lake Sinai virus 2, 3, and 4, and the Ditton virus, were also discovered in this study, which are the first records in Korea. Plant viral sequences resembling those of Arabidopsis latent virus 1, and a novel viral sequence was also discovered. In the present study 55 complete viral genome sequences were identified. This study is the first virome analysis of domestic honey bees and provides the latest information on the diversity of honey bee viruses in Korea.

In Vivo Inhibitory Assessment of Potential Antifungal Agents on Nosema ceranae Proliferation in Honey Bees.

Nosema ceranae Fries, 1996, causes contagious fungal nosemosis disease in managed honey bees, Apis mellifera L. It is associated around the world with winter losses and colony collapse disorder. We used a laboratory in vivo screening assay to test curcumin, fenbendazole, nitrofurazone and ornidazole against N. ceranae in honey bees to identify novel compounds with anti-nosemosis activity compared to the commercially available medication Fumagilin-B®. Over a 20-day period, Nosema-inoculated bees in Plexiglas cages were orally treated with subsequent dilutions of candidate compounds, or Fumagilin-B® at the recommended dose, with three replicates per treatment. Outcomes indicated that fenbendazole suppressed Nosema spore proliferation, resulting in lower spore abundance in live bees (0.36 ± 1.18 million spores per bee) and dead bees (0.03 ± 0.25 million spores per bee), in comparison to Fumagilin-B®-treated live bees (3.21 ± 2.19 million spores per bee) and dead bees (3.5 ± 0.6 million spores per bee). Our findings suggest that Fumagilin-B® at the recommended dose suppressed Nosema. However, it was also likely responsible for killing Nosema-infected bees (24% mortality). Bees treated with fenbendazole experienced a greater survival probability (71%), followed by ornidazole (69%), compared to Nosema-infected non-treated control bees (20%). This research revealed that among screened compounds, fenbendazole, along with ornidazole, has potential effective antifungal activities against N. ceranae in a controlled laboratory environment.

Some Considerations about Winter Colony Losses in Italy According to the Coloss Questionnaire.

The Italian beekeeping industry has grown steadily during the last decade, according to data from the national beekeeping registry, which came into existence in February 2015. Winter colony losses remain a matter of concern for beekeepers in Italy, and administration of the questionnaire defined by the Coloss Association could contribute to a better understanding of this phenomenon. To evaluate the percentage trends over time in honeybee colony losses arising from various causes, we used the quasi-binomial generalized linear modelling (GzLM) approach, taking the year as an independent variable. We set our level of significance at 5% and performed the data analysis only for the seven regions that sent data continuously from 2014 to 2020. We considered the percentage of losses due to queen-related problems, natural disasters, and dead or empty colonies, given that these questions remained unchanged over the years. The survey also revealed that the percentage trend for respondents using drone brood removal showed a significant increase. In general, the percentage of colony losses due to queen-related problems remained lower than 8%, and the percentage of colony losses associated with natural disasters was very low (<2%). The mean percentages of losses due to dead or empty colonies ranged from 6 to 17% in the considered period. In addition, we took account of the responses relating to treatments against Varroa mite infestation, given the importance attributed to this honeybee parasite. Unlike the other variables, we calculated the percentages related to the types of beekeeper treatments against Varroa destructor based on the respondents, not on the colonies. What emerged was that almost every beekeeper used at least one type of treatment against V. destructor. In general, the trend of respondents appeared stable at 0.3% during the last four years.

국내 꿀벌응애에서의 플루발리네이트 저항성 발달 현황과 해결 방안 제안

The beekeeping industry in Korea has been severely challenged by winter losses of honey bee colonies recently. Various factors such as climate changes, pesticides, pathogens, nutritional imbalance, parasitic mites and other environmental factors are argued as the causes of the large-scale losses of winter bees. However, it is more rational to suggest that a combination of these multiple stressors rather than a single factor is responsible for this damage. Among these factors, the ectoparasitic mites, particularly Varroa destructor, has been widely reported to significantly cause winter losses of honey bee colonies in various countries, and beekeepers in Korea complain that it is difficult to control mites with conventional methods. Considering that fluvalinate has been the most abundantly used synthetic acaricide in Korea, and intensive and repetitive use of fluvalinate has been suggested to be result in the development of resistant V. destructor populations in previous studies, we first focused on discussing the mode of action of fluvalinate and the mechanism of pyrethroid resistance. Current status of the fluvalinate resistance V. destructor in Korea and selection of alternative acaricides are further discussed in this review.

Impacts of indoor mass storage of two densities of honey bee queens (Apis mellifera) during winter on queen survival, reproductive quality and colony performance

Spring imports of queen honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) are essential to replace winter colony losses in Canada, but contribute to the spread of treatment-resistant strains of pathogens and undesirable genetic traits. A possible alternative to these imports is the mass storage of queens during winter. By overwintering a strong colony (queen bank) containing large numbers of mated queens isolated in cages, beekeepers could acquire local queens early in the spring. In this study, we tested the efficacy of overwintering queen banks at two different queen densities (40 and 80). In the 40-queen banks (40 QB), 74.2% of queens survived the 6-month overwintering period, while 42.1% of queens survived in the 80-queen banks (80 QB). When compared to queens overwintered free in their colony, queens from bank colonies were smaller and lighter in early spring but had similar sperm viability and sperm count. Overwintering queens in banks did not have an impact on their acceptance in a nucleus colony but reduced their oviposition in the initial weeks following their introduction. After several days in nucleus colonies, queens from banks had regained a size and weight similar to that of queens overwintered normally, suggesting that they could perform well over a complete beekeeping season. This study achieved promising results and highlights the potential of this technique for the beekeeping industry in Canada and worldwide.

The dose makes the poison: feeding of antibiotic-treated winter honey bees, Apis mellifera, with probiotics and b-vitamins

Honey stores of Apis mellifera colonies are replaced with sugar water by beekeepers, which may result in malnutrition. Nutritional supplements have been developed, but the importance of bacterial probiotics and vitamins is poorly understood. Given that supplementary feeding with vitamins and probiotics may enhance worker weight and longevity, this might suggest a feasible approach to mitigate winter colony losses. Here, we conducted a laboratory hoarding cage study with freshly emerged winter bees, which were treated with the antibiotic tetracycline to reduce gut bacteria obtained post-emergence and subsequently assigned to feeding regimes: sucrose only, sucrose + pollen, probiotics (low and high dosage), probiotics + pollen (low and high dosage), or b-vitamins (low and high dosage) (N = 8 treatments, 29 workers/cage × 8 replicates). In parallel, another age cohort of bees remained on their frame (= Frame) to establish their gut microbiota and were subsequently fed with sucrose only or sucrose + pollen (N = 2 treatments, 29 workers/cage × 4 replicates). The most beneficial effects on body weights were found in workers given ad libitum access to pollen, notably in the Frame Sucrose + Pollen group, confirming the inherent importance of post-emergent gut flora inoculation and the role of gut bacteria in protein digestion. Furthermore, both Frame groups and the antibiotic-treated workers fed with probiotic low + pollen survived longer than all other groups, highlighting a fundamental host-microbial relationship. On the other hand, our current treatments alone, post-tetracycline, did not yield any positive results. In contrast, high dosages of both probiotic and b-vitamins significantly reduced lifespan compared to their low concentration counterparts, probably due to dysbiosis and toxicity, suggesting that the outcome was dose-dependent. These results highlight that bacterial and b-vitamin supplementation can alter longevity with advisable caution since harmful concentrations appear to exist.

Prevalence and pathogen detection of Varroa and Tropilaelaps mites in Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera, Apidae) apiaries in South Korea

The honey bee is an important pollinator of wild plants and crops and provides various useful products for humans. Infestations by honey bee mites damage the honey bees’ health, decrease their lifespan, and increase their viral susceptibility. In this study, surveys were conducted throughout South Korea in 2019 to investigate the status of honey bee mite infestation. Mite samples were collected for species identification, and estimation of infestation levels from 47 apiaries in 12 regions was conducted. Mite species were identified by morphological characteristics and genetic analysis using cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COX1). The results showed that 93.6% of the apiaries were infested by honey bee mites, of which 85.1% and 76.6% of the apiaries were infested by Varroa spp. and Tropilaelaps spp., respectively. Furthermore, 68.0% were co-infested by both honey bee mites. Additionally, 82.5% of the apiaries with Varroa spp. showed infestation rate with >3 mites per 100 bees, the infestation level could result in winter losses of honey bee colonies. Species identification revealed that all mites from the apiaries in South Korea were Varroa destructor and Tropilaelaps mercedesae. Importantly, these two mite species were determined to be vectors of one to nine honey bee pathogens in real-time polymerase chain reaction detection. The most prevalent pathogen was the deformed wing virus, followed by the Israeli acute paralysis virus and chronic bee paralysis virus. The results of the surveys are important for estimating the economic losses caused by honey bee mites and establishing a possible strategy for controlling mites and mite-borne transmissible pathogens in South Korea.

Results of Annual Monitoring of Honey Bee Colony Winter Losses in Ukraine: Winter 2019–2020

Purpose. To estimate honey bee (Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758) colony winter loss rate for Ukraine after the winter 2019–2020 in the context of international COLOSS survey. Methods. Analysis of the results of the survey of Ukrainian beekeepers on A. mellifera colonies survival after the winter 2019-2020 by using the questionnaire developed by the coordinators of COLOSS international monitoring group. Unified approaches to data collection and statistical processing have been used. Valid protocols from 702 respondents from five physical-geographical zones of Ukraine have been analysed. Results. Honey bee colony winter loss rates for Ukraine after the winter 2019-2020 was 9.29%, the mortality rate was 5.41 %; the losses due to unsolvable queen problems – 2.19 %, and due to natural disasters – 1.69 %. The total losses in the steppe zone of Ukraine were 16.08%, significantly exceeding this indicator in the forest-steppe zone (8.94%), the zone of deciduous forests (6.73%) and the Ukrainian Carpathians (8.14%). The most common sign of dead colonies in Ukraine was the presence of a large number of dead bees in or in front of the hive (31.3 %) and unknown symptoms (37,3 %). The majority of Ukrainian beekeepers (50.7%) did not notice any difference in wintering of the colonies going into winter with a new queen in comparison with the old one. Among antivarroa drugs, the majority of respondents preferred products based on amitraz (fumigation – 50.8%, in plates – 15.7%) and flumethrin (20.0%). We confirmed statistically lower level of winter losses in colonies treated with amitraz (fumigation), whereas colonies treated with formic acid (long-term) had higher losses. Conclusions. Honey bee (Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758) colony winter loss rate for Ukraine after the winter 2019–2020 was 9.29% and decreased slightly compared to the last year (11.18%) and the year before last (11.26%). It was almost twice lower than the average for the countries participating in COLOSS international monitoring (18,1%) (Gray, 2021). The highest losses were observed in the steppe zone of Ukraine, whereas the lowest in the Ukrainian Carpathians. The smaller beekeeping operations with at most 50 colonies suffered significantly higher losses 12.66%) compared to medium and large ones (9.48% and 6.52%, respectively). The number of beekeepers treating colonies against varroosis was 90.6%, and all of them mentioned that they had pre-monitored the level of Varroa infestation.

Supra-Regional District Heating Networks: A Missing Infrastructure for a Sustainable Energy System

In analogy to electricity transmission networks, this paper analyzes the concept of supra-regional district heating networks (SR-DHN), connecting a large number of actors. Using a back-casting approach, a SR-DHN is assumed to exist and thus, implementation challenges, such as economic feasibility and energy losses, are circumvented in the first step (but are analyzed in the discourse). The paper then analyzes, in an interdisciplinary qualitative manner and supported by a case study, what technical, operational, economic and legal issues must have been resolved. Results show that the heat transmission network, being the backbone of the SR-DHN, is an expensive infrastructure, but is likely to become economic in a non-fossil energy system. By decreasing the reliance on single waste heat sources, SR-DHN allows longer payback periods and can thus be an enabler for using industrial waste heat. However, involving many actors requires comprehensive contractual foundations. The derived hypothesis is that SR-DHN, which is predominantly fed by waste heat, shall be operated with lower temperatures in winter (feeding the return while minimizing expensive winter losses) and high temperatures in summer (enabling alternative usages while accepting high but inexpensive summer losses).

Can Colony Size of Honeybees (Apis mellifera) Be Used as Predictor for Colony Losses Due to Varroa destructor during Winter?

For more than three decades, honeybee colonies (Apis mellifera) have experienced high losses during winter and these losses are still continuing. It is crucial that beekeepers monitor their colonies closely and anticipate losses early enough to apply mitigating actions. We tested whether colony size can be used as early predictor for potential colony losses, in particular due to the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. V. destructor is one of the most important causes of these losses. Such an early predictor for potential V. destructor induced losses is especially relevant as measuring V. destructor load in colonies is difficult and cumbersome. Over three years, we monitored colonies with high and low V. destructor loads from July until March of the next year. We found that differences in colony size were only visible after November, even though we lost almost all colonies every winter in the group with a high V. destructor load. In the Northern hemisphere, November is considered to be too late for beekeepers to strengthen colonies in preparation for winter. We therefore argue that early warning signs for potential colony losses due to V. destructor are urgently needed to allow beekeepers to prevent winter losses. We discuss the role of precision apiculture in monitoring the health and productivity of beehive colonies.

Spatial structure of reproductive success infers mechanisms of ungulate invasion in Nearctic boreal landscapes.

Landscape change is a key driver of biodiversity declines due to habitat loss and fragmentation, but spatially shifting resources can also facilitate range expansion and invasion. Invasive populations are reproductively successful, and landscape change may buoy this success.We show how modeling the spatial structure of reproductive success can elucidate the mechanisms of range shifts and sustained invasions for mammalian species with attendant young. We use an example of white‐tailed deer (deer; Odocoileus virginianus) expansion in the Nearctic boreal forest, a North American phenomenon implicated in severe declines of threatened woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus).We hypothesized that deer reproductive success is linked to forage subsidies provided by extensive landscape change via resource extraction. We measured deer occurrence using data from 62 camera traps in northern Alberta, Canada, over three years. We weighed support for multiple competing hypotheses about deer reproductive success using multistate occupancy models and generalized linear models in an AIC‐based model selection framework.Spatial patterns of reproductive success were best explained by features associated with petroleum exploration and extraction, which offer early‐seral vegetation resource subsidies. Effect sizes of anthropogenic features eclipsed natural heterogeneity by two orders of magnitude. We conclude that anthropogenic early‐seral forage subsidies support high springtime reproductive success, mitigating or exceeding winter losses, maintaining populations. Synthesis and Applications. Modeling spatial structuring in reproductive success can become a key goal of remote camera‐based global networks, yielding ecological insights into mechanisms of invasion and range shifts to inform effective decision‐making for global biodiversity conservation.

A National Survey of Managed Honey Bee Colony Winter Losses (Apis mellifera) in China (2013–2017)

Surveys of managed honey bee colony losses worldwide have become fundamental for engineering a sustainable and systematic approach to protect honey bees. Though China is a member of the world’s apiculture superpowers, the investigation of honey bee colony losses from Chinese government was not formally launched until recently. In this study, we investigated the colony winter losses of the western honey bee (Apis mellifera) of four consecutive years in 2013–2017 from 19 provinces in China, with a total of 2387 responding Chinese beekeepers (195 hobby beekeepers, 1789 side-line beekeepers, 403 commercial beekeepers) providing the records of overwintering mortality of honey bee colonies. The calculated colony losses were 8.7%, a relatively low mortality below the world average. There still exist considerable variations in total losses among provinces (ranging from 0.9% to 22.0%), years (ranging from 8.1% to 10.6%) and scales of apiaries (ranging from 7.5% to 10.0%). Furthermore, we deeply analyzed and estimated the effects of potential risk factors on the colonies’ winter losses, and speculated that the queen problems, the operation sizes and proportion of new queens are leading causes of the high honey bee colony mortality in China. More research and advanced technical methods are still required for correlation analysis and verification in future surveys of managed honey bee colony winter losses.