BEE COLONIES ARE REBOUNDING, BUT PROBLEMS REMAIN

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By Miriam Raftery

August 2, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – The number of honey bee hives lost to Colony Collapse Disorder dropped 27% over the past year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports in a honeybee health survey. In addition, the total number of commercial honeybee colonies has risen 3 percent.

Colony collapse is the abandonment of hives by bees in cases where no diseases or mites are present.

Over the last 20 years, pollinator populations including wild bees and Monarch butterflies have dropped by an alarming 90 percent, so protecting commercial hives is vital for pollination of crops and other plants.

While reduction in Colony Collapse Disorder is good news, the increase in commercial bee colonies is not a success story. 

Tim May, vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation, says new hives are created by breaking up stronger hives, which ultimately makes them weaker.  He attributes the increase in hives largely to beekeepers replenishing their losses, Bloomberg News reports.

Serious threats to bee health remain.

The survey also found that over two-fifths of beekeepers reported that mites are harming their hives. Many also cited stress from pesticides as major problems. Other factors negatively impacting bees included bad weather and insufficient foraging.

Some scientific studies have found that neonicotinoid pesticides are harmful to bees, though manufacturers have denied this. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been considering a ban on neonicotinoids—an action that could be sweet news to honeybee keepers across the U.S. seeking to protect their hives.


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