Collapsing Colonies: Four ‘P’s are to blame for bee deaths

Bee colonies are collapsing nationwide, leaving beekeepers with few answers.

Leaders at Project Apis M say bee deaths usually fit into our ‘P’ categories.

” That’s parasites: we know that there’s a mite that is killing bees, and it’s been a problem now and a primary management problem for beekeepers for decades. That mite feeds on the blood of bees and acts like a dirty needle spreading viruses, and those viruses are becoming increasingly detrimental,” Danielle Downey tells aginfo.net.

Pesticides and poor nutrition are the last two. Downey says her research over the last couple of weeks shows 41 percent of the nation’s bees died over the winter.

Related Stories
USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey says a cold front will keep smoke moving east and hopefully clear some smoke sitting over the north-central United States.
Thousands of pork producers from around the globe gathered in Des Moines, Iowa, this week for the World Pork Expo to showcase the latest production innovations and learn about market trends in the industry.
“I’ll say first and foremost, we need to make sure that the crop insurance system is not conflicting with these good farming practices.”