""Our losses have been getting higher and higher over the last few years," says Zac Browning, a fourth-generation beekeeper from North Dakota. This winter, he lost more than half of his bees. Nationwide, commercial beekeepers lost an average of 62% of their colonies last winter."
""We're still seeing unsustainable losses," says Christina Grozinger, an entomology professor at Penn State University. Over the last two decades, beekeepers have often lost up to 30% to 40% of their colonies over the winter, and that's 'very difficult for beekeepers to manage,' she says."
""Generally, when you lose 50% of your hives, it's a sign that the operation is weak," Browning says."
Honeybee populations have been declining for over twenty years, with commercial beekeepers experiencing significant losses. In recent winters, beekeepers have lost an average of 62% of their colonies. While honeybees are not at risk of extinction, the economic sustainability of commercial beekeeping is in jeopardy. Environmental pressures are also affecting wild pollinators. Although colony collapse disorder is less common now, beekeepers continue to face unsustainable losses, making it challenging to maintain their operations.
Read at Fast Company
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]