Living in a state that prides itself on its pastoral beauty, the state of our honeybees is second only to that of our Maple trees (although they shouldn’t be). It turns out that pesticides are likely the cause of the massive decline in honeybee populations during this past decade.

Around the world, honeybee stocks are in decline, which scientists have warned could have devastating impacts on global food supplies. A total of 80 percent of world food crops are primarily or exclusively pollinated by honeybees[…]

I’m not sure whether local apiarists have been finding dead bees, but I have heard discussion of CCD:

While in many cases bees have actually been found dead […] beekeepers have been particularly alarmed by CCD, in which the bees simply vanish, leaving empty hives behind them.

[…]

A number of studies have found that in low doses, neonicotinoids produce symptoms consistent with CCD. Termites exposed to imidacloprid experienced disorientation and immune system failure, while bees exposed to low levels of the chemical experienced impaired communication, homing and foraging ability, flight activity, and olfactory discrimination and learning.

Can we just get off of pesticides already? Time to go read Silent Spring.

[Via Jason Fried]