Taking the lead in researching the honey bee crisis By Chuck Gill College of Agricultural Sciences H oney bees are dying by the millions in the United States.
Honey bees play a part in the production of an estimated one-third of the typical American diet.
In the last 10 years, two kinds of parasitic mites have teamed up with harsh winter weather to decimate both domestic and wild bee populations, wiping out some beekeeping operations and creating a critical shortage of honey bees for pollination. From 1981 to 1995, Pennsylvania's commercial honey bee population fell from 85,000 colonies to just 27,000 colonies. Solutions for this growing crisis have been elusive. As a result, the College of Agricultural Sciences is taking the lead to launch a multi-state research and cooperative extension program aimed at fighting parasitic mites and educating beekeepers on the latest management practices. Tracheal and varroa mites are believed to be the major contributing factor in these colony deaths.