ECOVIEWS: Honeybees are amazing insects, making comeback
September 28, 2017
From: The Star (North Augusta, SC)
By WHIT GIBBONS, Columnist
Honeybees are making a comeback. The two hives I monitor produced enough honey this summer to fill a dozen quart jars. Professional beekeepers in the region, who gather much more honey that that, smile politely at my modest harvest. A few years ago, though, they were not smiling, because of an invasive parasite known as the varroa mite.
First discovered in Java about a century ago, varroa mites were found on U.S. honeybees in the 1980s. For years the bees’ trajectory was downhill. Mites were killing entire bee colonies, causing noticeable declines throughout the country. Thanks to scientific research focused on the problem and the commercial sale of products that kill the mites, honeybees are holding their own as beekeepers practice proper hive management.
Leave a Comment