Bees are the glue that holds our agricultural system together, adding more than $15 billion in value to farming each year, yet managed bee hives are disappearing at an alarming rate:
1. Pesticides - Neonicotinoids
2. Pests - varroa destructor
3. Bacterial (american foulbrood) and viral diseases (Nosema ceranae)
4. Crop monocultures (corn, wheat, soybean)
Bees may end up managed like cattle, pigs, and chicken - feedlot beekeeping.
Yet globally, up to 100,000 animal species die off each year. What are some reasons that we should care any more about the bee, vs. the other 99,999?
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