The decline of bees isn’t new – earlier this year, theEuropean Union voted to ban certain pesticides because it was so concerned about the fate of the insect– but the latest statistics paint a particularly stark picture. And it’s not just about the honey. The buzz over bees comes fro...
Clearly, the issue of pollinator population health and stability would not be detected by growers if they use yield within a single season as their measure. Although replacing wild pollinators with managed honeybees might be suggested in the short term, it is not a sustainable solution because ...
Nosemaspp.AccordingtotheNationalAgriculturalStatisticsService(2009),thenumberofmanagedhoneybeecoloniesusedforhoneyproductionintheU.S.hasdecreasedsteadilysincethelate1940’s(Fig.1).EventhoughitisclearthatthenumberofmanagedcoloniesintheU.S.hasdeclinedoverthelasthalfcentury(Fig.1),ithasbeendifficulttodetermineactual...
To better understand the potential drivers behind any changes, we asked the beekeepers to rank the main causes for changes in number of honeybees, beehives and honey yield. Similarly, to gain insights into the potential consequences for their livelihood, we asked the beekeepers to rank the ...