Maryland lost 60 percent of its honeybee colonies last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That puts the state in the top five for honeybee deaths in the country. Population losses at this rate could be unsustainable for both the pollinators, and the US economy. The insect plays an integral role in agriculture, accounting for an estimated $15 billion in value to crops annually. Maryland beekeepers Dennis vanEngelsdorp, and Bonnie Raindrop and wildlife biologist Sam Droege join us in this hour of Midday to talk about the controversial factors contributing to the deaths of honeybees, and we’ll hear from Maryland State Delegate, Anne Healey, who wants to target pesticides in the effort to stop the colony’s collapse.
The Plight of the Honeybee
