MacMusic  |  PcMusic  |  440 Software  |  440 Forums  |  440TV  |  Zicos
colonies
Search

US Beekeepers Lost 40 Percent of Honeybee Colonies Over Past Year, Survey Finds

Friday June 21, 2019. 12:00 PM , from Slashdot
Beekeepers across the U.S. lost four in 10 of their honeybee colonies over the past year, as the worst winter on record for tracked bee populations raised fresh concerns over the plight of the crucial pollinators. The Guardian reports: Over the past winter, 37% of honeybee colonies were lost to beekeepers, the worst winter decline recorded in the 13-year history of a nationwide survey aimed at charting bees' fortunes. Overall, 40% of colonies died off over the entire year to April, which is above the 38% average since the survey began. Researchers said the numbers were concerning given the intensive efforts to stem the loss of honeybees, which pollinate an estimated $15 billion in U.S. crops each year, enabling the farming of foods including apples, melons, cherries, almonds and blueberries. The latest survey included data from 4,700 beekeepers from all 50 states, capturing about 12% of the U.S.'s estimated 2.69 million managed colonies. Researchers behind the survey say it's in line with findings from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which keeps data on the remaining colonies.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.
rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/EgxIhosfRX4/us-beekeepers-lost-40-percent-of-honeybee-colon...
News copyright owned by their original publishers | Copyright © 2004 - 2024 Zicos / 440Network
Current Date
Mar, Thu 28 - 23:59 CET