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Are honey bees colonies coming back? Study says maybe

Honey bees FILE PHOTO: In this May 21, 2008 file photo, honey bees sit on a honeycomb in Germany. A recently released study has found the number of colonies did not decline as much as it did in past winters. (Heribert Proepper/AP)
(Heribert Proepper/AP)

The buzz of honey bees may be coming back.

Beekeepers were recently surveyed and they reported having only lost 22.2% of their colonies from Oct. 1 to March 31. The usual average rate of colony loss is 28.6%, The Associated Press reported.

The survey was conducted by the Bee Informed Partnership which compiled results from thousands of beekeepers.

The two years before had higher losses with 2018-2019 showing a record 37.7% of colonies dying. The summer that followed the record brought a 31% loss, which is higher than the average rate of summer loss, 21.6%.

Scientists hope the trend seen over the winter will continue over the summer.

In recent decades, the population of honeybees has been declining, threatened by mites, disease, pesticides and food loss. They are crucial to the world’s food supply, the AP reported.


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