SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
While they expect to lose a small proportion of their hives each year, Iowa beekeepers say this year their losses are far beyond normal ranges.
"It's devastating," Mike Swett of Squaw Creek Honey told local Iowa station KCCI. "When I came out and saw my loss, I mean you literally just cry."
Iowa Department of Agriculture bee researcher Andrew Joseph says the losses could be as high as 70 percent, compared to an average winter loss of up to 20 percent.
The high losses, he explains, were the result of not just the frigid temperatures on their own but of the multiple threats bees were already facing that left them more vulnerable.
Alison Sullivan reports:
Iowa Department of Agriculture bee researcher Andrew Joseph characterized the situation as a "death by a thousand paper cuts" as the honey bee population has faced an environment lacking in diversity, pesticide problems, colony collapse and parasites such as varroa mites, since the 1990s. [...]
"It's not that bees can't handle a cold winter or snow ... (but) when you go into winter with those types of bees and then you're confronted with the harshness of this season, they don't make it through to spring time," Joseph said.
Dave Irvin, President of the East Central Iowa Beekeepers, echoed these points, and told Common Dreams his association reported losses as high as 80 percent -- a range "way out" of what normally happens.
The cold is part of it, Irvin said, but it also has to do with the diseases and chemicals bees are confronting.
To help beekeepers now facing these expensive losses, he urges people to buy more bees, and to be aware of the chemical assault they may be waging on their lawns and crops.
___________________
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your support. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
While they expect to lose a small proportion of their hives each year, Iowa beekeepers say this year their losses are far beyond normal ranges.
"It's devastating," Mike Swett of Squaw Creek Honey told local Iowa station KCCI. "When I came out and saw my loss, I mean you literally just cry."
Iowa Department of Agriculture bee researcher Andrew Joseph says the losses could be as high as 70 percent, compared to an average winter loss of up to 20 percent.
The high losses, he explains, were the result of not just the frigid temperatures on their own but of the multiple threats bees were already facing that left them more vulnerable.
Alison Sullivan reports:
Iowa Department of Agriculture bee researcher Andrew Joseph characterized the situation as a "death by a thousand paper cuts" as the honey bee population has faced an environment lacking in diversity, pesticide problems, colony collapse and parasites such as varroa mites, since the 1990s. [...]
"It's not that bees can't handle a cold winter or snow ... (but) when you go into winter with those types of bees and then you're confronted with the harshness of this season, they don't make it through to spring time," Joseph said.
Dave Irvin, President of the East Central Iowa Beekeepers, echoed these points, and told Common Dreams his association reported losses as high as 80 percent -- a range "way out" of what normally happens.
The cold is part of it, Irvin said, but it also has to do with the diseases and chemicals bees are confronting.
To help beekeepers now facing these expensive losses, he urges people to buy more bees, and to be aware of the chemical assault they may be waging on their lawns and crops.
___________________
While they expect to lose a small proportion of their hives each year, Iowa beekeepers say this year their losses are far beyond normal ranges.
"It's devastating," Mike Swett of Squaw Creek Honey told local Iowa station KCCI. "When I came out and saw my loss, I mean you literally just cry."
Iowa Department of Agriculture bee researcher Andrew Joseph says the losses could be as high as 70 percent, compared to an average winter loss of up to 20 percent.
The high losses, he explains, were the result of not just the frigid temperatures on their own but of the multiple threats bees were already facing that left them more vulnerable.
Alison Sullivan reports:
Iowa Department of Agriculture bee researcher Andrew Joseph characterized the situation as a "death by a thousand paper cuts" as the honey bee population has faced an environment lacking in diversity, pesticide problems, colony collapse and parasites such as varroa mites, since the 1990s. [...]
"It's not that bees can't handle a cold winter or snow ... (but) when you go into winter with those types of bees and then you're confronted with the harshness of this season, they don't make it through to spring time," Joseph said.
Dave Irvin, President of the East Central Iowa Beekeepers, echoed these points, and told Common Dreams his association reported losses as high as 80 percent -- a range "way out" of what normally happens.
The cold is part of it, Irvin said, but it also has to do with the diseases and chemicals bees are confronting.
To help beekeepers now facing these expensive losses, he urges people to buy more bees, and to be aware of the chemical assault they may be waging on their lawns and crops.
___________________