Bees Stop Buzzing

The buzzing yellow-and-black species has been in danger for quite some time, and things are slowly getting better. According to the latest report from the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA), one-fifth of the bee population in the UK died last winter. Amazingly, this one-fifth is an improvement over the previous year’s deaths. In the winter of 2008, one-third of the honeybee population died. The slight improvement is attributed to the possibility of bees clustering together in especially chilly temperatures, thus helping them survive. Representatives from the BBKA seem frustrated, noting that this is nowhere near an acceptable level of deaths, and expressing the need for more research into the causes and remedies for honeybee deaths. As bees are pollinators for agriculture, the BBKA is right in saying that the deaths should not be taken lightly.