Bees pollinate 1 of every 3 bites of food; beekeepers have lost 36% of hives in the last year
"(1)"Honey bees pollinate one in every three bites of our food, but commercial bee-keepers lost an average of 36% of their hives last year according to U.S.D.A." [LC: this stat refers to U.S. operations][LC: I believe that source (2) is the USDA-commissioned report where the 36% loss stat comes from. However, the report found that strictly commercial beekeepers (500+ hives) lost an average of only 28.3% of their hives, while sideline beekeepers (51-500 hives) lost an average of 37.4% of their hives. I'm not sure how the magazine was interpreting these statistics.](1)"Beekeepers & Environmental Groups to EPA: Pesticide Approval is "Irresponsible" & "Dangerous." Food Safety Now! Spring 2012. 4.(2) Dennis vanEngelsdorp et al. "A National Survey of Managed Honey Bee 2010-11 Winter Colony Losses in the USA: Results from the Bee Informed Partnership." Journal of Agricultural Research 51(1): 115-124 (2012). 122. http://www.ibra.org.uk/articles/US-honey-bee-winter-colony-losses-2010-11[verified 4/17/14]