permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/bee_disorder;_ylt=AtfMNkOP7_MKtuxV7Q7LmyZhr7sF
Collapsing colony disorder impacts N.D.

Tue May 1, 8:13 PM ET

BISMARCK, N.D. - North Dakota now is among about a dozen states where beekeepers report some of their bees are buzzing 
away from hives for good.
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Judy Carlson, the apiary inspector for the state Agriculture Department, said North Dakota beekeepers are returning to 
the state after using their bees elsewhere to pollinate cucumbers and almond and orange trees.

The phenomenon, known as collapsing colony disorder, affects crops that 
depend on bees for pollination.

A survey of 15 out of the 179 beekeepers in the state found about half had 
poor or disappearing hives, she said.

"Some are reporting that they are losing 50 to 80 percent of their hives," 
Carlson said.

North Dakota, with an estimated 382,500 hives, led the country in honey 
production last year.

"This is a really big deal for the honey industry here," state Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson said. "It's a real 
mystery because bees have an enormously strong homing instinct, but in this case, they are flying away and never coming 
back and nobody knows where they went."