Bee Emergency: Unexplained Mass Die-Off Hits German Hives

The occupants of about half the bee hives in the German state of Baden-Württemburg have perished, writes Andrew Curry for Spiegel Online. The Rhine Valley is one of Germany’s most productive agricultural regions and bees contribute to pollination of many crops. Beekeepers in Germany and across the border in France express concern about a new pesticide, clothianidin, and question where it’s too thorough in attacking the nervous system of both pests and beneficial insects like honeybees. “As intensive agriculture becomes more and more common in Germany, the country's insects are beginning to suffer,” writes Curry. The bees pollinate 80 percent of Germany’s crops – and the loss of those pollinators would cost billions of euros and cause food prices to rise. – YaleGlobal