honeybee apocalypse: Up to 12 million bees found dead and dying in Florida and no one knows why - 3rd Oct 2011

honeybee apocalypse: Up to 12 million bees found dead and dying in Florida and no one knows why - 3rd Oct 2011

Honeybee carcasses coated the ground around hundreds of Florida beehives after a mysterious massacre claimed millions of bees and mutilated a way of life for local bee keepers.Experts have ruled out 'colony collapse disorder' and the bee keepers suspect that their bees were poisoned with pesticide. Florida agriculture officials and the local sheriff's office are both investigating.
No one can tell yet what killed as many as 12 million bees from 800 hives this week in Brevard County, on central Florida's Atlantic coast.
The massive bee die-off has stung Charles Smith, whose Smith Family Honey Company lost $150,000 worth of bees.
'I'm a pretty tough guy but it is heart wrenching,' he told News 13 in Orlando. 'Not only is it a monetary loss here, but we work really hard on these bees to keep them in good health.'
Smith scooped up handfuls of dead bees that littered the ground around his hives. The bees he raises go to farmers around the country to pollinate numerous crops, he said. Read More