From: Time
By Bryan Walsh
The honeybees are dying — and we don’t really know why. That’s the conclusion of a massive Department of Agriculture (USDA) report that came out late last week on colony-collapse disorder (CCD), the catchall term for the large-scale deaths of honeybee groups throughout the U.S. And given how important honeybees are to the food that we eat — bees help pollinate crops that are worth more than $200 billion a year — the fact that they are dying in large numbers, and we can’t say why, is very, very worrying.
May 8, 2013
From: Minot Daily News
By DAN RUDY
Forget the flowers, where have all the bees gone? Since 2006, there has been a growing concern among beekeepers about disappearing colonies, a trend which has since been labeled as Colony Collapse Disorder.
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Research Service estimates that from 2006 through 2011, colonies across the country have averaged losses by about 33 percent each year, figures which if continued could threaten the industry. This is not limited to honey production, but to the vital pollination services bees provide to orchards and farms. On its site, the ARS estimates that bee activity is crucial for $15 billion in increased crop value for domestic agriculture, with some crops such as almonds and certain fruits largely or wholly dependent on bee pollination.
May 6, 2013
Editor’s Note: The USDA/EPA report, “Report on the National Stakeholders Conference on Honey Bee Health: National Honey Bee Health Stakeholder Conference Steering Committee” is attached here. Below are the Highlights of Research Overviews:
• Consensus is building that a complex set of stressors and pathogens is associated with CCD, and researchers are increasingly using multi-factorial approaches to studying causes of colony losses.
• The parasitic mite Varroa destructor remains the single most detrimental pest of honey bees, and is closely associated with overwintering colony declines.
• Multiple virus species have been associated with CCD.
May 2, 2013
From: Republican Herald
BY AMY MARCHIANO
Troy and Wendy Jochems wanted to help the bees.
The Wayne Township couple admit they didn’t know much about beekeeping but wanted to do their part after watching a movie called “Vanishing of the Bees.”
“It basically explained problems with the colony collapse disorder,” Troy said.
“Plus with the lavender we had, so many bees were already kind of here,” Wendy said.
May 1, 2013
