Scientists Examine Cause of Bee Die-Off
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Scientists from Penn State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are leading the research into colony-collapse disorder, including study of the yet-to-be identified pathogen, a microorganism capable of causing disease.
But commercial beekeeper David Hackenberg isn't waiting to take action. He's asking growers whether they use pesticides on fields before bringing his bees for pollination.
Honeybees don't just make honey; they pollinate more than 90 tasty flowering crops, including apples, nuts and citrus fruit.
Hackenberg, 58, trucks his bees around the country for pollination -- from oranges in Florida to blueberries in Maine. He was the first beekeeper to report the disorder to Penn State researchers last fall, having lost nearly 75 percent of his 3,200 colonies.
He said he is convinced pesticides, and in particular a kind of pesticide called neonicotinoids, were harming his bees.
"I'm quizzing every farmer around," Hackenberg said. "If you're going to use that stuff, then you're going to have go to somebody else."
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http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=12961&ref=rssWARNING DUERS
Check the pesticide you buy at the store some do not have the warnings commercial sprayers have Why FREAKIN NOT I have no idea but bayer is looking into that ....About time maybe the little bee is saving our butts