BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 18, 2023
Maine honey bees are dying at an alarming rate thanks to climate change. Over the last two years beekeepers in the state have reported losing up to 50 percent of their bees annually. And it’s going to get worse, according to a top bee expert in Maine. Drought, extreme weather events and drastic winter temperature swings helped put starvation and hive robbing as two leading causes of bee deaths last year for the first time, according to Jennifer Lund, state apiarist. Warmer temperatures are keeping bees active into December and beyond. That higher level of activity means they are expending more energy than usual and eating their honey at a faster rate, depleting their stores.