A recent survey on honey bees reveals that the 2018/2019 winter resulted in a extremely large die-off – as upwards of 40 percent of their population was lost over the winter. Fewer honeybees is an ecological and economic problem, as there has been a major decline for the last 50 years. There are a variety of reasons for the decline, starting with wild bee habitats are disappearing and managed bee colonies are living in unhealthy bee populations. Managed colonies typically feed on the pollen and nectar from just one or two kinds of plants. As well, in the winter managed bees are generally feed corn syrup which weakens bees’ immune systems which can lead to colony collapse disorder. Once their immune system is compromised, honey bees become more susceptible to parasites such as Varroa destructor mites and other diseases. The Varroa destructor mite causes deformed wing virus and weakens bees by feeding on their fat. Bees rely on their fat stores to survive the winter and to combat the negative impacts of various toxic chemicals in pesticides.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/honeybees-largest-winter-die-off-50-years-randy-bilesky/?published=t
gogreenpestcontrol.ca insectandrodentexterminators.com Delta Ladner Tsawwassen B.C., Randy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/honeybees-larges…-off-in-50-years/