Sonoma Index-Tribune - 7 May 2020

As we grapple with the coronavirus crisis, our bees struggle, too, though for different reasons. Over the past 50 years, the number of honeybees has declined. Each winter since 2006, about 30 percent of beehives collapsed because of disease, parasites, poor nutrition and pesticide exposure.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), one out of every three bites of food in the U.S. depends on honeybees and other pollinators. The bees pollinate $15 billion of crops each year, including more than 130 fruits and vegetables. Without bees we wouldn’t have our cherished crisp apples or flavorful peaches, nutritious blueberries and lush melons, that morning cup of coffee and Valentine’s Day box of chocolates. Much is happening in Sonoma Valley and throughout the county to address this issue. READ MORE.