9-15 FB CCD

 While a quarter of commercial beekeepers, that’s defined as those with more than 500 colonies, have losses in the acceptable range of below 15 percent, another quarter have lost more than half of their honey bees. It’s a devastating cost and one that mounts up quickly says University Ag Economist Kathy Baylis who also reports that a scientific action plan is in place on behalf of beekeepers:  “I think it is about 30% of the world’s crops are dependent upon bees for pollination, most horticulture crops, certainly most of the tree crops, they are all dependent upon bees or other pollinators like bees. There are a bunch of folks working on extension including entomologists, a couple of economists, a couple of epidemiologists who are getting together and tapping into the knowledge that beekeepers already have in order to get a sense of what is going on. What are people doing in terms of their pest management practices, what is working, and what is not working, and then try and relay that information back out to beekeepers so that they can make better decisions in terms of pest management. Maybe we will be able to make a buck or 2 at this as well.”

 The specific culprits of these colony losses vary widely. Baylis, for instance says, many people have heard about colony collapse disorder (CCD). It is the mysterious ailment where beekeepers find that a colony has completely disappeared, with no dead bees to indicate what happened. But often colonies die from more conventional pests. And while many producers use conventional treatments for these pests, beekeepers vary greatly in their pest management approaches, and that USDA would – well - love to have a better idea about what works and where. So, it created the Bee Informed Partnership