Beekeepers from across the Commonwealth are still looking for some way to stop the loss of their hives. The Kentucky State Beekeepers Association stages its spring meeting in Richmond this weekend. The nation’s agriculture industry is coping with a massive die-off of the essential insect. Besides honey production, bees are essential to the pollination of some crops. Currently, association Vice President Jim Coss says they’re scrutinizing farm chemicals.
‘’We have lost a lot of bees over the last year. We working to try and find solutions to the bee losses and hopefully somebody can come up with an idea of what’s killing the bees off,” said Coss.
Coss says a representative with the Bayer Bee Care Program will talk about the impact of agricultural chemicals on bee populations. Coss calls ‘bee loss’ a significant concern….
“This year I suffered about a 15 percent loss. Last year I suffered about an 18 percent loss. I know different people out there who have had 22 hives and turn around and come out in the spring with five or six,” added Coss.
Instead in pollinating fruit trees and other crops, Coss says Kentucky’s beekeepers focus primarily on honey production.
