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New York Times: Bee Decline Threatens Production of Numerous Crops that Rely on Bees for Pollination
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Honeybees, Gone With the Wind, Leave Crops and Keepers in Peril
By By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO;
New York Times, February 27, 2007
Straight to the Source
Summary - Honeybees are flying off and disappearing in mystery that has flummoxed researchers and threatens production of numerous crops that rely on bee pollination; researchers call syndrome colony collapse disorder and say bees are presumably dying in fields from exhaustion or becoming disoriented and dying from cold; one study says that honeybees annually pollinate more than $14 billion worth of seeds and crops in US, mostly fruits, vegetables and nuts; investigators are exploring range of theories about disappearing bees, including viruses, fungus, poor bee nutrition, pesticides, bee stress; beekeepers earn much more renting their bees out to pollinate crops than in producing honey, and researchers are concerned that trucking colonies around country to pollinate crops could add to bees' stress and help spread viruses and mites of crops that rely on pollination
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