The Virginia Living Magazine article, titled "Bee Happy," follows Virginia backyard beekeepers who are helping pollen-loving Anthophila—and in particular the much-needed honeybee—to survive in an ever-changing, tumultuous climate.
“The numbers of bees have been going down dramatically since the 1970s,” Keith Tignor, Virginia’s state apiarist, tells me in the piece. “We estimate that we have had as many as 85,000 to 90,000 beehives across the state, and now we’re looking at 35,000, maybe at best 40,000, hives.” The die-off is part of a nationwide trend known as colony collapse disorder, he adds, and this past season was Virginia’s worst in a long time. “We lost 60 percent of our managed colonies this past winter.”
But with recent rains, things may be looking up for the bees. Find out by reading "Bee Happy" right here.
And more on the products of Virginia beekeepers, go here.
(Photo by the mighty Kate Thompson!)
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