Brace yourselves for increased honey prices

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zoebisch01

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"Honey bee die-off alarms keepers, growers and researchers
Wednesday, January 31, 2007

University Park, Pa. -- An alarming die-off of honey bees has beekeepers fighting for commercial survival and crop growers wondering whether bees will be available to pollinate their crops this spring and summer.

Researchers are scrambling to find answers to what's causing an affliction recently named Colony Collapse Disorder, which has decimated commercial beekeeping operations in Pennsylvania and across the country.

"During the last three months of 2006, we began to receive reports from commercial beekeepers of an alarming number of honey bee colonies dying in the eastern United States," said Maryann Frazier, apiculture extension associate in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. "Since the beginning of the year, beekeepers from all over the country have been reporting unprecedented losses."

http://live.psu.edu/story/21979
 
Brewpilot said:
I am going to be SUCH a hippie when I retire... growing hops, brewing beer and raising bees... oh yeah.

Brewpilot


Lol, I am of the same sort of philosophy. Unfortunately, with the bees, I was talking to an expert who used to raise them in NY. He moved to New Zealand, and said that this was going to happen and advised me against it. Not that it would stop me if I really wanted to do it, it is just food for thought. Well better make Mead while the makin's good!
 
We've been having bee die-offs (Varroa mites) for several years on the West Coast. Getting enough hives to pollinate all of the orchards has been a real challenge.
 
david_42 said:
We've been having bee die-offs (Varroa mites) for several years on the West Coast. Getting enough hives to pollinate all of the orchards has been a real challenge.


Kind of scary actually. As an avid gardener, I know full well that having sufficient pollinators are very important to achieving maximum yields and good fruit on plants that aren't self fertile. This actually has consequences beyond just good ole hunny! The other thing is, from what I recall from the article is that the cause is undeterminded at this point, so yet another serious problem.
 

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