Advertisement

If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)

ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.

ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCES TO C&EN

Environment

USDA To Collect More Data On Bees

by Britt E. Erickson
November 3, 2014 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 92, Issue 44

[+]Enlarge
Credit: Shutterstock
USDA will collect data from beekeepers.
Beekeeper checks an apiary.
Credit: Shutterstock
USDA will collect data from beekeepers.

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service plans to collect more data to get a better handle on the number of honeybee colonies that are lost each year. Multiple factors—including pesticides, lack of habitat, and mites—have been implicated in recent reports of honeybee losses, but it is unclear which factors are the biggest culprits and how many bees have been lost. New surveys would target beekeepers with fewer than five colonies. USDA hopes to obtain information about movement of colonies between states, colony losses, and stressors such as pests or parasites. In a separate move, USDA announced that it would provide $4 million to farmers and ranchers to implement conservation practices, such as planting cover crops, that will provide food for honeybees.

Article:

This article has been sent to the following recipient:

0 /1 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH Remaining
Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need.