Where have all the honeybees gone?

At the top of my blog, there is a beautiful image of a honeybee that I found within the public domain via the state library on North Carolina. The honeybee is the state insect of North Carolina. Unfortunately, throughout the United States, honeybees are disappearing at an alarming rate.
Honeybees can be credited with pollinating more than $14 billion worth of agricultural crops every year throughout the United States. “Every third bite we consume in our diet is dependent on a honeybee to pollinate that food,” said Zac Browning, vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation. In the U.S., Bee losses are ranging from 30 to 60 percent on the West Coast, with some beekeepers on the East Coast and in Texas reporting losses of more than 70 percent. A loss of up to 20 percent in the off season is considered to be normal by beekeepers. The exact reason for the steep declines in honeybee populations is unknown. Investigators are exploring theories including viruses, fungus and poor bee nutrition. Another hypothesis is that the use of a group of pesticides are somehow affecting bees’ innate ability to find their way back home.

To read a complete article from the NY Times on this issue visit the following.
New York Times. Honeybees Vanish, Leaving Keepers in Peril http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/27/business/27bees.html?ex=1330232400&en=3aaa0148837b8977&ei=5088