Beekeepers Report Higher Loss Rates In Bee Populations

BERLIN, GERMANY - APRIL 28: Beekeeper Eva Fisher and friend Chloe Hervell, a highschool exchange student from Utah, finish gluing a number onto a queen bee before returning it to its colony during a weekly checkup on Eva's four bee colonies next to an elementary school on April 28, 2013 in Berlin, Germany. Local beekeepers claim their yearly loss rates within their bee populations has gone from an average of 10% per year to 30% per year over the last 10 years, though they are unsure whether the cause lies with a mite and a virus it might be spreading or with the increased use of certain pesticides by local farmers. According to a recent report prepared by Greenpeace seven pesticides currently in use in Europe present a real danger to bees. Bees are essential in nature in pollenating a wide variety of plants and trees. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)