Nearly half of Canada's honeybee colonies didn't survive the winter, the largest rate of colony loss in the country in the last 20 years, according to preliminary data. The president of the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists calls the finding "pretty disturbing."
According to the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists, the most frequently cited causes of bee mortality were weather, starvation, poor queens and weak colonies in the fall.
Authorities say some 300,000 bee colonies died in June and July. Experts blame pesticides — specifically neonicotinoids — but also varroa mites, the loss of natural habitat and flowers, and, more recently, climate change.
Colonies suffered from parasitic, disease-spreading Varroa mites. Floods and fire didn’t help.
Observations From Members 