Review of Bee Health

By ABIGAIL KLEIN LEICHMAN

The international scourge of colony collapse disorder affects Israel’s bees less than in other countries, due to a variety of innovative strategies.

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Israel takes measures to ensure that its bee population declines no more than 10% each year, compared to 30% to 50% in the United States, where the problem is so severe that Häagen-Dazs ice cream has donated $1 million to honeybee research since 2008, and President Barack Obama initiated a national strategy to promote bee health.

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Climate is the main variable in reaching an ideal annual yield of 3,000 tons, Avidor says.) The first step in avoiding CCD is to follow Agriculture Ministry guidelines for eradicating Varroa mites, a parasite considered a core cause of CCD.