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Colony Collapse Disorder

The number of managed colonies in the United States for honey production has been in decline since the 1940s. Annual declines and colony losses are normal however the rate of honeybee deaths as well as the inability to find a determinate cause of the deaths has caused some alarm. In 2006, some beekeepers reported losing 30-90% of their hives. Total colony loss reached 45% between 2012 and 2013, up from 28.9% and 36.4% in previous years. While annual losses above 30% are not out of the ordinary, the symptoms of these colony losses do not all match with those normally produced by known pests and pathogens. The amount of loss experienced as well as uncertainty around the cause of the loss lead to the coining of the term Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) by the apiculture community.

Former President Barack Obama created the Pollinator Health Task Force in 2014 to investigate the issue of bee and other pollinator losses, such as with birds, bats and butterflies. The United States has also banned certain pesticides that have been linked to honeybee deaths, following the steps of the E.U., who banned an entire class of pesticides, neonicotinoids, in 2013.