Bees

Northwest Beekeepers Impatient With Cautious EPA

Tom Banse — Thu, 02 May 2013 23:39:23 +0000

A swarm of factors is causing heavy losses in honey bee colonies. That's the bottom line of a report issued jointly Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Agriculture. The report identifies a parasitic mite as a leading culprit in combination with diseases, poor nutrition, genetics and pesticide exposure.

Washington State Pressed To Save Honey Bees By Restricting Pesticides

Tom Banse — Wed, 01 May 2013 00:44:29 +0000

For about seven years, many Western beekeepers have been plagued by unexplained die-offs in their hives. It happened recently to Mark Emrich.

"I was doing great until about five weeks ago," he says. "Then I came down and opened up the hives and I had five dead boxes of bees.

Newly Detected Parasite Turns Northwest Honey Bees Into 'Zombees'

Tom Banse — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 00:14:41 +0000

There's more trouble for your hard-working backyard honey bee. Researchers have confirmed the first cases of "zombee" bees in Washington state and in the Portland area. Infection by a parasite prompts the bees to embark on what's being called a "flight of the living dead."

Care To Borrow A Bee?

Ashley Ahearn — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:40:31 +0000

Honeybees have run into some trouble. Diseases, funguses and pesticides are just some of the factors scientists believe may be contributing to the decline of these insects nation-wide. But honeybees play a critical role in pollinating everything from the Washington apple crop to the flowers in your back yard. Ashley Ahearn reports on one booming business that’s bringing bees back to the urban environment. Care to borrow a bee?