Bees Disappearing Poses Threat To Ag Industry

(Pierre, SD) — Experts say bee colonies are disappearing at an unsustainable rate, posing a major threat to the agriculture industry. Beekeepers in South Dakota and around the country have been fighting against historically high annual colony loss rates of more than 30-percent over the last decade. South Dakota ranked sixth in the nation in terms of honey production in 2022, producing millions of dollars for the economy. But honey and roughly a hundred other different agricultural crops are at risk with the loss of bees that could raise food prices while decreasing food availability all over. Amanda Bachmann, an urban entomology field specialist with the South Dakota State University Extension Service, says one of the big things people can do is use pesticides only as designed and to avoid flowers.