Dive Summary:
- Honey bees have been dying by the tens of millions since 2006, and a new U.S. Department of Agriculture report details scientists' race against time to figure out the cause of what has come to be known as Colony Collapse Disorder.
- Over 100 crops are pollinated by honey bees, and the march toward "beemageddon" has been marked by CCD's destruction of over 10 million hives in the past six years, the death rate for colonies hitting 30% annually and the loss of 3.5 million colonies since 1947.
- Scientists believe a combination of factors like pesticides, parasites and poor nutrition may be to blame, with growing global concern resulting in a European ban of chemicals called neonectinoids and some scientists focusing on importing "old world" bees in an attempt to breed a better class of bee.
From the article:
... If that sounds scary, it is. Take almonds. California harvests more than 80% of the world’s almonds. But you can’t grow the nut without honey bees and it takes 60% of the US’s remaining colonies just to pollinate that one $4 billion cash crop.
If the death toll continues at the present rate, that means there will soon be barely enough bees to pollinate almonds, let alone avocadoes, blueberries, pears or plums. “We are one poor weather event or high winter bee loss away from a pollination disaster,” USDA scientist Jeff Pettis said in the report. ...
