[ExI] Bees in more trouble than ever after bad winter

[BillK]

The mysterious 4-year-old crisis of disappearing honeybees is
deepening. A quick federal survey indicates a heavy bee die-off this
winter, while a new study shows honeybees' pollen and hives laden with
pesticides.

<http://www.physorg.com/news188628076.html>

This year bees seem to be in bigger trouble than normal after a bad
winter, according to an informal survey of commercial bee brokers
cited in an internal USDA document. One-third of those surveyed had
trouble finding enough hives to pollinate California's blossoming nut
trees, which grow the bulk of the world's almonds. A more formal
survey will be done in April.

"There were a lot of beekeepers scrambling to fill their orders and
that implies that mortality was high," said Penn State University bee
researcher Dennis vanEngelsdorp, who worked on the USDA snapshot
survey.

Among all the stresses to bee health, it's the pesticides that are
attracting scrutiny now. A study published Friday in the scientific
journal PLOS (Public Library of Science) One found about three out of
five pollen and wax samples from 23 states had at least one systemic
pesticide - a chemical designed to spread throughout all parts of a
plant.
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BillK