Vanishing bees

Bees Vanish, and Scientists Race for Reasons


NYTimes
Science
Bees Vanish, and Scientists Race for Reasons
By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO
Published: April 24, 2007
More than a quarter of the country’s bee colonies have been lost, and no one can say what is to blame.

Excerpt:

More than a quarter of the country’s 2.4 million bee colonies have been lost — tens of billions of bees, according to an estimate from the Apiary Inspectors of America, a national group that tracks beekeeping. So far, no one can say what is causing the bees to become disoriented and fail to return to their hives.

...

So far, colony collapse disorder has been found in 27 states, according to Bee Alert Technology Inc., a company monitoring the problem. A recent survey of 13 states by the Apiary Inspectors of America showed that 26 percent of beekeepers had lost half of their bee colonies between September and March.

Honeybees are arguably the insects that are most important to the human food chain. They are the principal pollinators of hundreds of fruits, vegetables, flowers and nuts. The number of bee colonies has been declining since the 1940s, even as the crops that rely on them, such as California almonds, have grown.

Comment: Also in the Minnesota news:

Why are the bees disappearing?

Excerpt:

Minnesota beekeepers, whose hives are still in hibernation, will learn in coming days how hard they've been hit.

Comment: Of interest to me because bees facinate me and Kathee has expressed a desire to be a bee-keeper when we retire.