Something in the environment is killing bees. It is not much of an exaggeration to say that bees are a necessity of life, and they are in trouble. That means you should pay attention, at least if you want to keep eating.
Prior to 2006, the rate of colony loss for bees during a winter was 10%. Then something started to kill bees. In big numbers! Bee colony collapses averaged 30% from 2006 to 2012. But this past winter was even worse.
Don Hopey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the rate of colony collapse hit 50% this winter.
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/environment/honeybee-shortage-threatens-pennsylvania-crops-686455/.
Researchers at Penn State University are among the world's leading authorities in trying to pinpoint what is killing bees in massive numbers and save them. That would be good for us, to put it mildly.
And by the way, Governor Corbett slashed funding to Penn State University, and those cuts had a particularly devastating impact on PSU's agriculture work. PSU had to lay off and early retire nearly 200 people in Agriculture positions.
The Corbett Administration should remember that we reap what we sow.
Corbett believes-sung to the tune of "All We Need is Love"- all we need is gas. Invest in that and nothing else. Yes, PA will reap what it is sowing- "all we need is gas"
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