10 years after Colony Collapse Disorder scare, what have we learned about the plight of bees?

Simon Klein and Andrew Barron | May 17, 2017 | Genetic Literacy Project

Ten years ago, beekeepers in the United States raised the alarm that thousands of their hives were mysteriously empty of bees. What followed was global concern over a new phenomenon: Colony Collapse Disorder.  Since then we have realised that it was not just the US that was losing its honey bees; similar problems have manifested all over the world. To make things worse, we are also losing many of our populations of wild bees too.

Losing bees can have tragic consequences, for us as well as them. Bees are pollinators for about one-third of the plants we eat, a service that has been valued at €153 billion (US$168 billion) per year worldwide.  Ten years after the initial alarm, what is the current status of the world’s bee populations, and how far have we come towards understanding what has happened?.......To Read More

My Take -  I question their figures and his conclusions. 

• As of 2014 the worldwide honey bee population increased 45%.
• Most of our food is wind pollinated, and if every honey bee on the planet died tomorrow it would only impact 4 to 6 percent of our food production.
• CCD has happened over and over again and the bees recover.  http://paradigmsanddemographics.blogspot.com/2014/12/presidential-pollinator-protection.html
• Pesticides, including neonics,  are not the problem.  The USDA concluded neonics not driving bee deaths
• http://paradigmsanddemographics.blogspot.com/2015/03/usda-study-concludes-neonics-not.html
• https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2016/03/01/bee-health-update-latest-field-studies-conclude-neonicotinoids-not-key-problem/

The real problem lies in three areas.

1. Parasites.  It isn't just varroa mites, but there's a parasitic phorid fly that infests colonies that absolutely mimics all the sysmptoms of CCD.
2. Pathogens.
3. How they're handled by commercial bee keepers. 

Much of his information needs questioned and his conclusions are immaterial.  Furthermore - this issue has been fraught with scientific fraud.  Here's more information about the truth of CCD.

• https://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2017/04/04/scientists-challenge-center-biological-diversity-report-claiming-wild-bees-near-extinction/
• http://paradigmsanddemographics.blogspot.com/2017/02/beegate.html
• http://paradigmsanddemographics.blogspot.com/2016/08/dont-bee-lieve-latest-bee-pocalypse.html
• http://paradigmsanddemographics.blogspot.com/2014/02/colony-collapse-disorder-excuse-not.html