The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released their annual beekeepers survey, which shows fewer colonies in the U.S. than recent years. But beekeepers say losses remain higher than needed to be beneficial for crop pollination.
Survey results state loss of managed honey bee colonies were 23.2 percent nationwide, which is more than the 18.9 percent level of loss beekeepers say is acceptable for economic sustainability, according to a USDA release.
For a summary of the annual beekeepers survey, visit http://beeinformed.org/results-categories/winter-loss-2013-2014/.
To increase public awareness of the bee’s importance to agriculture, USDA launched the “Bee Watch” website, where a bee cam of the People’s Garden Apiary is broadcast live.