Honeybees have gone missing from their hives, and the reason has confounded both scientists and beekeepers. For those of you unfamiliar with Colony Collapse Disorder, don’t miss reporter Matt McKinney’s story that ran in today’s paper. Without our hardworking pollinators, a multitude of commercial crops like almonds, oranges and cherries are also in danger.

More on Colony Collapse Disorder:
+ New York Times: Bees Vanish, and Scientists Race for Reasons
+ Washington Post: Mystery Ailment Strikes Honeybees
+ Mid-Atlantic Apiculture
+ Penn State University Entomology Deptment
+ American Beekeeping Federation

The honeybees, eight pounds of them, are set for me to pick up on Saturday, and I am excited to get them into the hives prepared and waiting for them. My bee supplier picks up a whole trailerload from California, I believe, and brings them back to Minnesota for his beekeeper customers who want to restock their “supply.” We overwintered one colony and were delighted they made it through the winter. Soon, those residents have four more hives of co-worker bees buzzing all over.