"Where have all the bees gone? The question has vexed farmers, beekeepers, regulators and scientists since the fall of 2006, when U.S. bee populations began their mysterious decline."
"Approximately a third of U.S. bees have been dying in each of the last six winters, with a large percentage of deaths being linked to a phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder, in which entire populations of worker bees disappear.
The cause of the decline remains unclear, but environmentalists -- bolstered by several recent studies -- have begun pointing fingers at pesticides. Several coalitions are now urging U.S. EPA to ban certain pesticides that are part of the widely used neonicotinoid family, even as the agency and pesticide manufacturer Bayer CropScience say the chemicals are safe.
Dave Hackenberg, a Lewisburg, Pa., beekeeper who was one of the first to spot the large die-offs, says regulators need to step in even if the science implicating pesticides is not conclusive."
Jeremy P. Jacobs reports for Greenwire April 24, 2012.
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