Some Positive Buzz about Honey Bee Numbers
September 25, 2017
From: AgWeb
By Alison Wedig
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a positive report on honey bee colonies this past spring. The number of commercial U.S. honey bee colonies was 2.89 million as of April 1–3% more colonies than during the same time frame in 2016. The total number of honey bee colonies lost was also lower in 2017. The number of colonies lost from April through June 2017 was 226,000 colonies, or 8%, compared to 330,000 colonies lost, or 12%, in 2016.
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“It is hard to look at the colony numbers and get a clear snapshot on overall bee health; what the numbers and charts don’t show is how much harder the beekeepers are working to keep those bees alive,” says Jeff Harris, Mississippi State University Extension research apiculturist and honey bee expert.
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