Urban Beekeepers Resist Colony Collapse

We still don’t know exactly why bees are dying in massive numbers, with potentially devastating effect on larger ecosystems, but honey-loving hipsters around the world are taking to their rooftops to help stem the tide.

New York Times / Green Inc.:

There also is more to the beekeeping campaign than ensuring plentiful supplies of superior honey. Since 2003, there have been reports of serious losses of bees from hives in Europe and the United States.

The European Food Safety Authority says the true extent of the losses is hard to estimate but it reports that in Italy alone up to half of bees may have died in 2007.

The cause of the die-offs, known as colony collapse disorder, is unknown, although numerous factors could be responsible including starvation, viruses, mites, pesticide exposure and climate change, according to the authority.

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