Microalgae is the Bee’s Knees

We love to eat the honey that honeybees produce, but what do honeybees eat?

The usual answer to this question is nectar and pollen. However, malnutrition in honeybees – a major reason why they’re growing more susceptible to pathogens, parasites, and pesticides – is a growing issue in the world of agriculture.

Fortunately, ARS scientists with the ARS Honeybee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research Laboratory in Baton Rouge, LA, have discovered another option on the honeybee menu: microscopic algae, or “microalgae.”

Read this longer article to find out more.

Protecting Pecans with Friendly Fungi

On July 1, 1930, ARS began its pecan research and breeding program in Austin, TX. Their efforts helped the United States became the world’s leading producer of pecans with a crop estimated to be worth over $560 million.

Now, scientists at the ARS Fruit and Tree Nut Research Station in Byron, GA, and research partners at Fort Valley State University and University of Georgia have developed newer and smarter ways to protect this beloved crop.

The team identified two “friendly fungi,” Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium brunneum. Both fungi can control economically damaging insects like pecan weevils, aphids, and stink bugs. There is also a correlation between those fungi and the growth of the plants they’re applied to, leading to increased plant height, number of leaves, and root length.

Read a longer article to learn more.

Steam-Cleaning Melons?

Consumers aren’t likely to clean their cantaloupes with a steam cleaner, but an ARS scientist did just that to show that the concept could be an effective way to reduce bacterial contamination on the surface of cantaloupes. The treatment didn’t harm the flavor or quality of the melon, either.

Read "Steam Makes Melons Safer" to learn more. 

Paint Your Pet's Behavior

Animals show many different behaviors every day. They may play and greet other animals, and their behavior may change during an activity or experience, such as a sudden thunderstorm. Have you ever noticed your pet's behaviors? Normal behaviors like playing or grooming tell us that an animal is happy and relaxed. When animals become stressed, bored, or sick, they may show 'abnormal behaviors' like biting, hiding, or pacing. It's important to identify and understand animal behaviors and their causes to ensure they are happy and stress free.

About the Experiment

Use this activity to learn more about different animal behaviors. Get creative painting or drawing!

	Details Ages - 4-11
	Time - 30 minutes
	Difficulty - Easy

 What You'll Need

• Paper plates (or a sheet of paper)
• Paint/markers/colored pencils/crayons
• Paint brushes if using paint
• Popsicle sticks
• Glue or tape

Let's Do This!

1. Choose a pet or animal to study its behaviors. You can study your pet, a family or friend's pet, or another animal, such as in a zoo. Select three different behaviors that the pet or animal shows (Examples).
2. Paint or draw the pet or animal expressing its behavior on the paper plate (or sheet of paper). Repeat this for the other two behaviors.
3. If you're painting, let your paper plate or sheet of paper dry after you paint your picture.
4. Glue or tape a popsicle stick to the back of your paper plate.
5. Now you have three animal masks or puppets, or new artwork to hang up.

What Did You Learn?

1. What pet or animal did you choose and why?
2. What behaviors did you choose? Why did you choose these?
3. What do these behaviors tell you about the pet or animal?
4. Do you share any of the same behaviors? If so, how do these behaviors make you feel?
5. If you chose any negative or abnormal behaviors, how can you change the situation to make the pet or animal feel happy and stress free?

Animal Behavior Research from the Agriculture Research Service

Agriculture Research Service (ARS) scientists observe farm animals' behaviors to make sure we give them the best care. Here are some projects the scientists are working on:

• ARS scientists give chickens new toys to see how these changes can support positive behavior.
• ARS scientists are studying pigs' behavior to see how it changes as they become hot.
• Scientists are giving pigs toys to see how they change the pigs' behavior.
• ARS scientists found that hops that are too old for brewing beer, but still nutritious for cattle, may help keep cows healthy.
• ARS scientists found the first meal is vital for calf and piglet survival.
• ARS scientists are the first to demonstrate that goats with a different form of a gene are less susceptible to the disease scrapie.
• ARS scientists are researching the temperature preferences of sows, with an eye toward keeping them more comfortable.

Animal Welfare Information Center

The Animal Welfare Information Center at the National Agricultural Library provides information about animal wellbeing and how to house and care for animals.

Animal Welfare Information Center: Housing, Care and Welfare

Microbe Turns Bread Waste into Useful Compound

Food waste is a big problem, both practically and ethically. Bread, rolls, and other baked goods account for a significant portion. Some bread waste is fed to livestock as a source of carbohydrates and protein, but much of it gets tossed out.

The good news is that an international research team of scientists from the ARS National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, IL, and Ege University in Turkey, found a way to use bacteria to convert the glucose (sugar) in bread waste into a compound known as 2KGA. In turn, 2KGA can be made into valuable compounds such as vitamin C, which is used in foods and beverages, supplements, and pharmaceutical and personal-care products.

The useful bacterium is called Pseudomonas reptilivora.

Read "Microbe Turns Bread Waste Into Useful Compound" to learn more.

Do Bugs Bug You?

When you see a bug in your home, do you want to squash it or study it? Either way, be sure to watch our Facebook Live interview with ARS entomologist Tracey Leskey, who talks about stink bugs, ants, box elder bugs and other insects—and what we can do to keep them out of our homes. 

Watch the video "Household Insects".

Alternative Grains

Today’s consumers want more choices of food products that are gluten free, low in sugar, nutritious, and tasty. ARS functional foods researchers are evaluating ways to use gluten-free alternatives, like amaranth, in popular products like cookies and pasta.

To learn more read, "With Alternative Grains, Consumers Can Have Their Cake and Eat It Too" and watch the video "USDA-ARS Food Scientists Cook Up New Uses for Ancient Grains."

Pet Behavior Matching Game

Animals perform many different behaviors every day to interact with themselves, other animals, humans, and their environment. Have you ever noticed your pet's behaviors? Normal behaviors like playing or grooming tell us that an animal is happy and relaxed. When animals become stressed, bored, or sick, they may show 'abnormal behaviors' like biting, hiding, or pacing. It's important to identify and understand animal behaviors and their causes to ensure they are happy and stress free.

About the Experiment

Use this activity to learn more about different animal behaviors. 

	Details Ages: 4 - 15
	Time: 15 - 30 minutes
	Difficulty: Easy

 What You'll Need

• Printed out memory cards (Sheet 1), (Sheet 2), (Sheet 3), (Sheet 4)
• Scissors
• Cardstock paper (optional)

Let's Do This!

Note: This game can be played as a single player game or with multiple people.

1. Print out the memory cards found below. Print them twice, so there are two of each card.
2. Carefully use the scissors to individually cut out the cards.
3. Mix the cards up and lay all of them face down.
4. Choose who will go first. The first player turns over any two cards. If the cards match, the person keeps the set of cards. If the cards don't match, they are flipped back to face down, and it's the next person's turn.
5. Play until all the cards have been matched.
6. Whoever has the most matches at the end of the game wins

What Did You Learn?

1. When flipping over each card, what was your reaction to the animal? Did the animal seem happy, stressed, angry, playful?
2. How did your initial reaction match up with the description of the animal's behavior?
3. What behaviors on the cards did you find most interesting?
4. What behaviors on the cards were you not aware of?
5. Does your pet, or a friend or family member's pet, exhibit any of these behaviors?

Animal Behavior Research from the Agriculture Research Service

Agriculture Research Service (ARS) scientists observe farm animals' behaviors to make sure we give them the best care. Here are some projects the scientists are working on:

• ARS scientists give chickens new toys to see how these changes can support positive behavior.
• ARS scientists are studying pigs' behavior to see how it changes as they become hot.
• Scientists are giving pigs toys to see how they change the pigs' behavior.
• ARS scientists found that hops that are too old for brewing beer, but still nutritious for cattle, may help keep cows healthy.
• ARS scientists found the first meal is vital for calf and piglet survival.
• ARS scientists are the first to demonstrate that goats with a different form of a gene are less susceptible to the disease scrapie.
• ARS scientists are researching the temperature preferences of sows, with an eye toward keeping them more comfortable.

Animal Welfare Information Center

The Animal Welfare Information Center at the National Agricultural Library provides information about animal wellbeing and how to house and care for animals.

Animal Welfare Information Center: Housing, Care and Welfare

Can Alfalfa Really Help Save the Planet?

Did you know that alfalfa is the fourth most widely grown crop in the United States? It may not be a part of your everyday diet, but alfalfa is key to feeding farm animals, poultry, even farm-raised fish. ARS scientists recently found an environmental benefit to growing this crop: carbon reduction in the atmosphere. Read more in "Alfalfa: A Winner for Producers and the Environment"