Jun 27 2008
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No Bees No Crops
Food prices could rise even more unless the mystery surrounding the honeybees is solved lawmakers were told yesterday by farmers and businessmen.
About three-quarters of flowering plants rely on pollinators (including birds and bees) to help them reproduce. Bee pollination is responsible for $15 billion yearly in crop value.
In 2006, beekeepers began reporting losing 30 percent to 90 percent of their hives. This phenomenon has become known as Colony Collapse Disorder. Scientists don’t know how many bees have died.
Food prices have gone up 83 percent in three years according to the World Bank.
The cause behind the disorder remains unknown. Possible explanations are pesticide contamination, a new unknown parasite or pathogen, and a combination of stresses including poor nutrition, contaminated water supplies, and the need to relocate bees long distances for pollination.
The House Appropriations Committee approved $780,000 on Thursday for research on the disorder and $10 million for bee research. The money is waiting for approval by the full House and Senate.
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