More Disturbing News On Honeybees

A recent survey on bee health continues to raise concern over colony collapse disorder (CCD). The new numbers show a sharp decline in managed hives since last year. The survey showed that 36% of the nation’s commercially managed hives have been lost since last year and 29% of those losses were due to CCD. The survey included 327 producers, which makes up 19% of U.S. commercial beehives.

The survey results have heightened concern over CCD, because losses at these levels are not sustainable for the industry which is critical in the pollination of many of the nation’s food crops. While a cause for CCD has not been identified, some researchers believe it is a combination of factors including pesticides, new diseases, and parasitic mites.