6-29 FB Symbiotic Bee Killers

 Pollination woes in the U.S. You ain’t seen nothing yet. I’m David Sparks and if you’re a fruit grower or any grower who relies on bee pollination, you’ll want to hear this next story.I read a staggering statistic: Did you know that 1/3 of all food crops rely on insect pollination…as in bees. And bees are being decimated at alarming rates due to a term called Colony Collapse Disorder. Blackfoot, Idaho beekeeper Zac Browning has 18,000 beehives and has suffered losses of between 10%-20% despite the fact that he gives them shelter in the winter, and feeds them and gives them medicine. Other beekeepers around the country have suffered losses of over 30%.

 Colony Collapse Disorder may describe what happens but nobody knows why. Mites, fatigue, viruses, poor nutrition, and a variety of other factors have been blamed. Bill Ahaus of the Idaho Honey Industry Association and a beekeeper himself talks to a lot of scientists and says that one piece of the puzzle may be that bees may be coming into contact with chemicals that, by themselves aren’t lethal but: “There’s a symbiotic relationship. 2 chemicals that by themselves don’t kill bees but when they’re present together, they become toxic.”

 One scientist says that we’re close to the margin of a viable ratio of pollinators to crops.