Dying Honeybees Will Effect Everyone

No one can explain the recent die-off of millions of honeybees.

They're calling it Colony Collapse Disorder and though there are some suspected causes, nothing has been pinpointed as yet (march 21st, 2007)

Weekly Reader Lead Story: Bee Woes

"'One third of the food you and I eat every day can be traced back to bees,' says Hayes. 'If the bees aren't there, the grower doesn't have any options. If you don't have bees to carry pollen from one crop to another, you get zero crops.' "

Here's a map of the states reporting honeybee losses so far.

How Important Are Honeybees?

"If we didn't have bees, we wouldn't have any fruit or hardly any veggies," adds local beekeeper Jo Haugland, one of Webb's former students.

"Bees take a bad rap," Haugland adds. "They're industrious, clean, organized and interesting. They're completely focused. You can even walk up to a bee that's collecting pollen and pet it on the back, they're that intent."

'Tis true. Try it. Reach out to the bee sipping nectar from a bud and ever so gently, stroke her furry back just between the resting, lacy wings. She may startle and move to another flower. Or, she may continue suckling, sides heaving gently, as she communes with her flower and you with your bee.

The above quotes were snipped from an article that was originally published by Denver University. The article is no longer available at their website.

Numbers of Honeybees Lost

Reports on their losses coming from beekeepers vary widely. Some commercial beekeepers are reporting their losses as about the same as the last several years. Others report losing thousands of colonies: one lost 11,000 of his 13,000 colonies; another 700 of 900; another 2500 of 3500; another virtually all of his 10,000.

“Beekeepers overwintering in the north many not know the status of their colonies until they are able to make early spring inspections. This should occur in late February or early March but is dependent on weather conditions. Regardless, there is little doubt that honey bees are going to be in short supply this spring and possibly into the summer."

Please vist the ABF using the link below for the latest news on the bees situtation.

Honeybees info at the American Beekeeping Federation

Play Honeybee Word Search