Honeybees Dying From the Cold

The New York Times printed an article on the decline of honeybee colonies across the country. I expected the article to blame the losses on Global Warming, but was surprised to learn that many of them are dying because of the cold. That, and the fact that bees are probably having to work longer seasons. They have to work almond groves in California in February, where many of the bee deaths due to cold are taking place.

From the Times here:

Bees have been disappearing inexplicably at an alarming rate, threatening not only the livelihoods of beekeepers, but also the production of numerous crops, including California almonds, one of the nation’s most profitable.

Bees are flying off in search of pollen and nectar and simply never returning to their colonies. And nobody knows why. Researchers say the bees are presumably dying in the fields, perhaps becoming exhausted or simply disoriented and eventually falling victim to the cold.

This bothers me mostly because I love to make mead. Less bees mean that there may be less honey, or more expensive honey in the future. Honey is running about 4 dollars per pound currently. I blame Al Gore for the deaths of the honey bees. As the prophet of eco-doom, he should have seen this coming and moved those bees somewhere warmer.