Beekeepers in North Dakota and Minnesota have reported catastrophic losses of honeybee colonies in the past few months. Nearly 50 percent of commercial beekeepers’ bees have been lost over the winter for the past 20 years, but this year the losses are ranging from 70 to 100 percent, which is affecting California’s almond crop—there aren’t enough bees to fully pollinate it. Zac Browning, a fourth-generation commercial beekeeper from Jamestown says that the losses are “completely unsustainable.” Commercial beekeepers have been struggling with losses for about 20 years, the cause being labeled Colony Collapse Disorder. The afflictions contributing to this disorder are said to be pesticides, loss of flowering habitat, and pathogens, according to researchers. These die-offs may impact food security in the coming years.
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