Pollinator: Judgment Day

The continued decline of bee colonies — they fell by a third from 2016 to 2017 — has inspired some criminal enterprises.

A honeybee heist in California led to the discovery of a “beehive chop shop” and thieves scheming to pinch pollinators.

And then there’s honey. “Foods that can't be differentiated by sight will often be faked, and honey fills the bill,” writes Larry Olmsted, who investigated food fraud for a book.

Complex global trades can obscure the true source — and composition — of the gooey goods in our cupboards. So when we buy a bottle or a bear, how do we know we’re getting the good stuff?

GUESTS

Kim Flottum, Editor, Bee Culture Magazine

Eric Wenger, Chairman, True Source Honey

Margarita Lopez-Uribe, Assistant professor of entomology, Penn State University; she studies how environmental changes impact the bee population.

Gene Brandi, Past president, current board member at the American Beekeeping Federation; owner, Gene Brandi Apiaries

For more, visit https://the1a.org.

© 2018 WAMU 88.5 – American University Radio.

Copyright 2018 WAMU 88.5. To see more, visit WAMU 88.5.