• Subscribe
  • Donate Now
  • logo
  • logo
  • Stories
    • Agribusiness
    • Coronavirus
    • Dicamba on Trial
    • Energy
    • Environment
    • Government
    • Labor
    • Health
    • Climate Change and Agribusiness
    • Wellness on the Farm
      • Wellness on the Farm
      • Mental health resources in the Midwest
  • Espanol
  • Graphic of the Week
  • Resources
    • Datasets and Documents
    • Reporter Guides
    • Training
  • Send us a tip securely
  • We want your pitches
  • About The Center
  • Jobs
  • Donate Now
  • More
    • About The Center
    • Board of Directors
    • User Agreement and Privacy Policy
    • Donor Transparency
    • Editorial Independence Policy
    • Contact Us
honey bees

Study: Demand for biofuels could take away habitat for honey bees

By Johnathan Hettinger | September 1, 2016
More
  • More on honey bees
  • Subscribe to honey bees

Bad news keeps on coming for beekeepers.

Amid reports of anti-Zika efforts killing millions of bees throughout the southeast, a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey shows that the increasing demand for biofuels could be taking away habitat best suited for honey bees in some of the nation's top honey-producing states.

A bee lands on a flower at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum. Wisconsin has developed a proposal for protecting bees and other pollinators, including butterflies. Critics say it does not focus enough on limiting use of a class of insecticides known as neonics that has been tied to bee die-offs.

Joshua Mayer / via Flickr

Grasslands in North and South Dakota are being replaced by corn and soybeans, taking away habitats for honeybees.

With their eyes on high commodity prices and government subsidies, farmers in North and South Dakota have started planting corn and soybeans in areas that were previously grasslands, according to the study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Clint Otto, the lead author, and his team looked at the states' land-use trends from 2006-2014. During that time, grasslands were rapidly changed into corn and soybean fields.

The Dakotas are two of the nation's three highest honey-producing states, with more than 18,000 apiaries making up at least 40 percent of the bee colonies in the United States.

But the study showed that beekeepers tend to try to avoid being located near corn and soybean fields, instead choosing the disappearing grasslands.

The study can be used for informing decisions on future land-use management, Otto told The Washington Post, which did a nice write-up on the study.

Thanks to our sponsors

loganfoundation mccormick foundation

Member Of

Member
  • Investigate Midwest
  • About The Center
  • Contact Us
  • Support the Midwest Center

About Investigate Midwest

The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting is a nonprofit, online newsroom offering investigative and enterprise coverage of agribusiness,big ag and related issues through data analysis, visualizations, in-depth reports and interactive web tools. Learn More »

Search This Site

Browse Archives

© Copyright 2021, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

Investigate Midwest is a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News

Built with the Largo WordPress Theme from the Institute for Nonprofit News.

Back to top ↑

The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Learn More
Privacy & Cookies Policy