Massive honey bee die-offs are leaving bee keepers scrambling

New data reveals massive honey bee die-offs.

USDA reports 60% of commercial colonies lost in California. Mites are fighting back as they become more resistant to treatments, threatening pollinators.

That mass kill-off left bee keepers scrambling this spring.

New research out of Georgia shows just how valuable that pollinating system is to the state’s blueberry crop.

Blueberries were a half a billion dollar crop in Georgia back in 2023. Researchers at the University of Georgia collected more than 5,000 individual bees across eight commercial farms.
They found 72 species, marking the most detailed survey of its kind to date.

They also discovered wild bee activity goes beyond the blueberry bloom, making it important to offer blooming flowers throughout the season.

Related Stories
Now that Washington lawmakers have passed a 45-day stopgap, they have some breathing room to work through some hot-button topics like the high cost of the upcoming Farm Bill, which is due in large part to the funding necessary to support the Nutrition Title.
To mark the end of National Chicken Month, we take a look at how the U.S. poultry industry is making a slow and steady recovery following the widespread outbreak of High-Path Avian Flu (HPAI) in 2022 that devastated commercial flocks across the country.