Bee Deaths

A recently released survey shows a sharp increase in the death of American honey bees. According to numbers released by the United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA), 28 percent of bees died this past winter, up six percent from a year ago.

Some economists worry not only about the health of bees, but the impact the increase in deaths could have on food prices. The USDA estimates about 25 percent of the food we eat comes from plants pollinated by honey bees. I called Jay Saunders from Agricultural and Applied Economics Association: "The expert, Wally Thurman, at North Carolina State agrees with some of the USDA findings but doesn't see it as a sky is falling scenario."

However, the USDA also reports there are more honey bees today in the U.S. than there were 10 years ago when concerns over "Colony Collapse Disorder" began. So is this recent increase in bee deaths an anomaly or part of a more-troubling long-term trend?