Bees: Is Bee-magedon Upon Us?

There have been many stories in the news in the past few years about the deaths of so many bees and the collapse of bee colonies. Bjorn Lomborg looks into the situation. Here is a graph he presents of the actual number of bee colonies in the US over the past few decades:

 

From his posting,

Yes, honey bees are dying in above average numbers, but the most likely cause is the Varroa mite and associated viruses.

And beekepers have adapted, so much so that colony numbers were higher in 2010 than any year since 1999. Far from being passive victims, they have actively rebuilt their colonies in response to increased mortality from CCD. Although average winter mortality rates have increased from around 15% before 2006 to more than 30%, beekeepers have been able to adapt to these changes and maintain colony numbers. ...

Yes, as economists never tire of pointing out: People respond to incentives.

Many have pointed towards pesticides as the main reason, and the EU 2-year ban on neonicotinoids has been justified as a way to tackle CCD. As a fact-check, France banned the neonicotinoids already in the 1990s, and has seen no marked reduction in CCD. ...

Overall, the CCD is a problem we need to tackle, but it is not by any stretch of the imagination the end of the world. ...

Graph and numbers from: http://qz.com/101585. You can also read the longer http://perc.org/sites/default/files/ps50.pdf, and 

Read http://thebreakthrough.org/index.php/journal/past- issues/issue-1/an-environmental-journalists-lament/

"Varroa mites and viruses are the currently the high-profile suspects in collapsing bee colonies."  http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0057540, see alsohttp://link.springer.com/article/10.1051%2Fapido%2F2009076

Neonicotinoids: http://risk-monger.blogactiv.eu/2013/02/06/the-european-commission’s-plan-bee-attack-of-the-killer-bureaucrats/#.UfPPoGR1kqk

Total value of pollination:  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2008.06.014,  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2011.08.001, Muth, M.K., Thurman, W.N., 1995. Why support the price of honey? Choices.