This is a serious problem, as it has a huge impact on agricultural production. The root of the problem is most likely that the commercial transport of bees has reached extreme levels, resulting in the bees simply being psychologically stressed beyond the breaking point and/or the wide spread of an as-yet-unidentified virus or fungus that’s damaging the bees. Bees were not meant to be trucked hundreds of miles every few days, let loose in a an unfamiliar field, and then trucked off again. Hopefully, the main problem is psychological stress, since that could be solved by farmers beginning to keep their own bees or local beekeepers springing up to fill the void. If the cause is a disease that has already been spread all over the country, this is really a crisis and a big investment in identifying the disease agent is urgently needed.
“...this is really a crisis and a big investment in identifying the disease agent is urgently needed.”
This? From Government SHRINKER? Dude. They just allocated $10 Million to research this...and they’ve been “researching” this for ten years now, already.
Again, I’m not saying that bees aren’t important; I manage a Garden Center; all living things need pollination to produce, but Jeeze! The LAST people I want “managing” this “crisis” is Government. I want them out of the way!
As soon as bee populations are up again and beekeepers are making unseemly PROFITS, will Congress drag them up to Capitol Hill again and slap a “windfall profits tax” on them?
Just kidding. Sort of.
Bees were not meant to be trucked hundreds of miles every few days....
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Excellent point. Since all reports say that the keepers have not been finding the bees dead somewhere, you just may be on to something.