This stings: Winter death rate for America's bees jumps

WASHINGTON — After two years of improvement, America's honeybees had another tough and deadly winter, probably because of mites, according to a new federal survey released Tuesday.

The annual survey of beekeepers showed the winter colony loss rate was 28 percent, up from 22 percent. That's about average over the past decade but higher than the 17 percent that beekeepers call acceptable.

http://www.startribune.com/this-stings-winter-death-rate-for-america-s-honeybees-jumps/378819141/