Discussion With USDA About Honey Bee Health Survey

Thriving Or Dying

Recently, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a survey about honey bee health which has created quite a stir from bee health advocates as well as beekeepers. The survey implies that honey bee populations are increasing. Meanwhile, beekeepers are expressing concerns about the interpretation of this data. In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, host, June Stoyer discusses the survey with Mr. Joshua O’Rear, an agricultural statistician with USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. His current duties include preparing the estimates for the Honey, Honey Bee Colonies, and Cost of Pollination reports. Stay tuned!

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Open Letter to American Beekeepers

Why would you risk putting something out there that could kill the bees that you need -Bill Rhodes

The Presidential Task Force Report on Bee and Pollinator Health has been widely condemned for failing to address the primary cause of bee-deaths in America: pesticides. Environmental NGOs have strongly criticized the Task Force Report including: PANNA, Beyond Pesticides, Center for Food Safety, Friends of the Earth, National Resources Defense Council and EcoWatch. The central criticism is that this report gives pesticides a free pass in relation to bee colony deaths.

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