Scott Mc Kiernan Presents zReportage.com Issue #1030 Story of the Week: Published TUESDAY March 3, 2026: ‘STICKY SITUATION: Why Are Florida Bee’s Dying?’ Photography by ZUMA Partner newspaper The Tampa Bay Times Pulitzer Prize winning photo-journalist Douglas R. Clifford: Scientists call it a ‘pollinator health crisis.’ One in three mouthfuls of everything we eat directly or indirectly rely upon honeybee production, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Pollinators contribute over $24 billion to the US economy, $15 billion from bees alone. But domestic pollinators have plummeted for decades, especially native bees. Managed honey bees fell from 6 million colonies in 1947 to 2.5 million today. A phenomenon called ‘colony collapse disorder’ killed 23% of the honey bee population in 2007. In 2022, Hurricane Ian destroyed up to 300,000 beehives. Fewer pollinators pose a serious risk to US agriculture and the economy. Like canaries in a coal mine, bees reflect the health of the environment. The rapid loss of bees over the past decade may signal a decline in the health of the planet, scientists warn, and a symptom of larger environmental problems. Welcome to ‘STICKY SITUATION: Why Are Florida Bee’s Dying?’
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