WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville
More than 40 percent of United States honey bee colonies died in the past year, according to a survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Bee Informed Partnership.
But Florida experts see a problem with the national numbers.
Local beekeeper Chappie McChesney believes survey data drew disproportionately from commercial beekeepers. Florida’s bee population is growing. The state’s warm climate allows for a nearly year-round beekeeping season, said David Westervelt, Florida Department of Agriculture apiary inspection assistant chief.
