What's the Buzz? Honey Bees

You may have heard that honey bees in this country have been disappearing or dying. So what's going on with bees?

Honey bees play a critical role in the pollination of many of our fruit, nut, and vegetable crops. In the past few years, African honeybees have begun to threaten honeybee colonies in the U.S. African bees are very defensive and can displace domestic bee colonies.

Mites have also been a problem for beekeepers in recent years, and continue to impact the industry.

Bees throughout the country have also been mysteriously disappearing. No one's quite sure what's going on, but it seems that millions of bees are flying off to look for pollen and nectar and never returning, in a trend called "colony collapse disorder."

To support the industry, consumers can buy U.S.-produced honey.

UF/IFAS Sites

• Bees and Pesticides
• Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab
• Colony Collapse Disorder: Why Are Honey Bees Disappearing?

UF/IFAS Publications

• Bee Health
• The Benefits of Pollen to Honey Bees
• Biological Control for Insect Management
• Choosing the Right Pest Control Operator for Honey Bee Removal: A Consumer Guide
• Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in Honey Bees
• Explaining the Best Management Practices for Maintaining European Honey Bee Colonies
• Natural Products for Insect Pest Management
• Protecting Honey Bees from Pesticides

Also on Gardening in a Minute

• Attracting and Safeguarding Beneficial Insects
• Honey Bees

Other Sites

• Cure for Honey Bee Collapse?--Science Daily
• Häagen Dazs: Help the Honey Bees
• Honey Bee Collapse Disorder--Federation of American Scientists (PDF)
• New Honey Bee Viruses Found--Western Farm Press
• What Beekeepers Can Do Right Now--University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences