odds ’n’ ends

WASHINGTON: There’s a glimmer of hope for America’s ailing honeybees as winter losses were the lowest in more than a decade, according to a US survey of beekeepers released Thursday.

Beekeepers lost 21 percent of their colonies over last winter, the annual Bee Informed Partnership survey found. That’s the lowest winter loss level since the survey started in 2006 and an improvement from nearly 27 percent the winter before.

The US government has set a goal of keeping losses under 15 percent in the winter.

“It’s good news in that the numbers are down, but it’s certainly not a good picture,” said survey director Dennis vanEngelsdorp. “It’s gone from horrible to bad.”

Reduction in varroa mites, a lethal parasite, is likely the main cause of the improvement, said vanEnglesdorp, a University of Maryland entomologist. He credited the reduction in the parasite to a new product to fight the mite and better weather for pesticide use.

The 10-year average for winter losses is 28.4 percent. (AP)

PROVIDENCE, RI: US officials are warning people not to take selfies with seals, no matter how tempting.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries office says seal pupping season is underway in New England and that means people might see seal pups on the beach during Memorial Day weekend.

But they say there is no selfie stick long enough to safely get a selfie of a seal pup.

NOAA says people and pets should stay at least 150 feet away from seals. Mother seals often leave their pups alone on the beach for up to 24 hours at a time. If a mother seal sees a human near her pup, she might feel threatened and abandon it.

NOAA also says harassing a marine mammal is illegal. (AP)

TIRANA, Albania: Albania’s government has declared May 10 as Pelican Day in an effort to protect the habitat of a bird under threat.

A statement Friday says Environment Minister Lefter Koka issued the order to help promote care for the birds, which face challenges from hunting and a shrinking habitat. (AP)