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TOMMY DILLARD/Ledger & Times
Kent Williams, a hobby beekeeper who manages over 300 hives, examines a sheet of honeybees at his home in Graves County. Disappearing honeybees are giving beekeepers across the nation fits, but Kentucky’s bees are doing just fine, says state apiarist Phil Craft. |
Bee disappearance hasn't happened here ... yet
By TOMMY DILLARD
Staff Writer
WINGO, Ky. - A drastic reduction in honeybee populations across North America this spring has scientists alarmed and searching for answers, but the mysterious buzz killer has spared Kentucky hives thus far, says state apiarist Phil Craft.
Beekeepers in 27 states have reported that their bees have suddenly vanished in the past few months, abandoning their hives for no apparent reason, leading scientists to dub the puzzling ailment “colony collapse disorder,” or CCD. The Apiary Inspectors of America claims that over a quarter of the nation's bee population has been lost in the past few years.
Kent Williams, a hobby beekeeper in Graves County and president of Lake Barkley Beekeepers Association, manages close to 300 hives and says he has seen no signs of colony collapse disorder in any hives in western Kentucky, but that symptoms of CCD have been noted in hives as nearby as northeast Arkansas.
“It's not really affecting hobby and small-time beekeepers, which covers everyone in the Purchase area,” Williams said. But commercial beekeepers in some parts of the country, such as California's San Joaquin Valley where farmers rely on bees to pollinate almond trees, are feeling the crunch.
Colony collapse disorder is causing significant unrest in the agricultural community and justifiably so. If bee populations continue to plummet, the food supply could eventually be affected. Not only are honeybees critical to maintaining natural vegetation, they also pollinate more than 130 agricultural plants in the U.S., according to beesource.com.
For complete story, see today's Ledger & Times
Story created Jun 05, 2007 - 11:17:24 EDT.
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