A new survey says America's honeybee hives just staggered through the second highest death rate on record, with beekeepers losing nearly half of their managed colonies. But using costly measures to create new colonies, beekeepers are somehow keeping afloat. Thursday’s University of Maryland and Auburn University survey says that even though 48% of colonies were lost in the year that ended April 1, the number of United States honeybee colonies remained relatively stable. Honeybees are crucial to the food supply, pollinating more than 100 of the crops we eat, including nuts, vegetables and fruits. Scientists blame parasites, pesticides, starvation and climate change for large die-offs.
This article has been circulating for a while, summarizing the latest BIP data on colony losses. Thought this forum might allow some beekeeper discussion of it. Do we think this annual “doom and gloom” reporting on BIP’s colony loss survey data is useful, or does it sow pointless confusion among non-beekeepers?
