I blame the Africanized bees and their wicked wicked ways.

Once you've gone African, you don't want to settle for the milder type.

I saw a program on this and they blamed it on the 'high stress' endured by the bees as they were being driven all over hells half acre by the bee keepers. This was a result of consolidation in that market (fewer suppliers) and greater demands per hive. Bees that were local and put into service less often did not experience the same die off. Not saying pesticides are not bad - just that it doesn't tell the whole story.

Mobile commercial honeybee hives aren't the only pollinators. Worst case, farmers and orchardists eventually will have to manage their own hives onsite, use different pollinators, set aside habitat for wild pollinators, and change or reduce pesticides. The price of some foods may go up, but it's not the apocalypse yet. Corn, soy, and wheat don't depend on bees.

Trucking thousands of hives all over the country certainly isn't helping contain bee viruses and parasites.

@1: The NYT had a fairly extensive article on this today; if you want more info, that would be a good place to start.

I love that drunk bee design for this event. Know who did it?

Damn. I love honey and use it several times a week. I don't know why it never occurred to me that it could be full of pesticides and antibiotics - but apparently both are found in honey. ) : =

@1 and 5: The New York Times article is the same Associated Press one that I quoted and linked to in the post. It is terrifying, if you ask me.