HOw To HONEYBEE DIE OFF INCREASING

My boss came in to my office the other day and handed me an article from the Wall Street Journal...he knows (and is so excited) about our beekeeping journey and wanted to make sure I saw the article (he's pretty wonderful like that).


This story is getting somewhat reported in the media but, in my opinion, not widely enough.  We don’t really need to know if Kim Kardashian is having another baby or that Taylor Swift has another hit song.  What we need to know is what is causing this massive bee die off and, more importantly, what can the world do to help reverse it.

The headlines alone are frightening (click any/all of these for articles):

"Sharp Spike in Honeybee Deaths Deepens a Worrisome Trend" 

"Honeybee Crisis Worsens as Summer Die-Offs Mount"


 In one year, April 2014 – April 2015, beekeepers reported that more than FORTY PERCENT of their United States honeybee colonies died off.  
Think about that for a minute…

What if 40% of cattle died in one year? 
Or 40% of fresh fish disappeared?
Or even 40% of corn or wheat wilted away?

 They would most likely be the top stories on the news outlets.  Alas, bees still don't get the coverage they deserve.  Oh sure, the story is around and it does get more traction than it used to, but still not so much in the mainstream press, where it should be...not as much as should be warranted in this situation.


"What we're seeing with this bee problem is just a loud signal that there's some bad things happening with our agro-ecosystems," co-author Keith Delaplane says.  "We just happen to notice it with the honeybee because they are so easy to count."

Our first two beehives
They say that home and/or amateur beekeepers may be the best hope to at least maintain bee colony populations.  Home apiarists are usually less likely to be using the chemicals elsewhere in the yard that are harmful to bees, more likely to be checking them regularly and better ready to treat problems before they overwhelm the hive.  Plus, they create healthier and stronger varieties of bees.  We are hoping we can do at least a small part to help.  

GO BEES!

 Update: Marcia was kind enough to post this link just announced today.  It's the first ever
 National Initiative to Promote the Health of Honeybees

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