Earth Changes
The annual survey of roughly 5,000 beekeepers showed the 33% dip from April 2016 to April 2017. The decrease is small compared to the survey's previous 10 years, when the decrease hovered at roughly 40%. From 2012 to 2013, nearly half of the nation's colonies died.
"I would stop short of calling this 'good' news," said Dennis vanEngelsdorp, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland. "Colony loss of more than 30% over the entire year is high. It's hard to imagine any other agricultural sector being able to stay in business with such consistently high losses."
The research, published Thursday, is the work of the nonprofit Bee Informed Partnership and the Apiary Inspectors of America.

Kieran Dickson had just arrived to the seaside village of Kassiopi, Corfu, when he saw the powerful whirlpool several metres in diameter, pictured
Kieran Dickson had just arrived to the seaside village of Kassiopi, Corfu, when he saw the powerful winds causing the waves to spin around, creating a whirlpool several metres in diameter.
A short clip of the phenomenon, which Mr Dickson said lasted for five minutes, shows the dangerous spiral of water off the northeast point of the Greek island.
Although hoping for a holiday filled with sun, sea, and sand, the Scot soon realised he might have had better weather if he had stayed in the UK.
The rotating mass of water in the Adriatic Sea looked to be gaining speed as the wind picked up around the cameraman.
A further 113 people have been reported missing, a spokesman said.
Military boats and helicopters have been sent to help rescue operations.
The flooding is believed to be the worst since May 2003 when a similarly powerful south-west monsoon destroyed 10,000 homes and killed 250 people.
Rescuers had set up 185 camps for displaced people and the town of Matara in the south of the island was being evacuated because of the risk of flooding, the spokesman said.
Earlier, the head of military rescue operations Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe told the BBC that troops had reached all the affected areas and the risk to life had receded.
The villagers informed OSD Dhirendra Pawar about the accident, who informed the district magistrate of Uttarakhand about the casualties.
The deceased have been identified as Amar Singh (52), Lokesh (22) and Meher Singh (50), residents of Mori tehsil of Uttarkashi.
The nine injured were identified as Dinesh, Janak Singh, Jagdish, Kishan, Jitendra Singh, Chaman, Sanju, Akhilesh and Parmanand.
Source: Asian News International
It happened at a home in the 1100 block of Kalamazoo Avenue SE at approximately 6:00 p.m. Thursday.
Newschannel 3's Nicky Zizaza spoke with neighbors and police.
Police said a family pet is to blame for the death of a 3-week-old girl who was attacked in a house while her family members gathered on the porch.
A newborn girl was found viciously mauled by at least one of three pit bulls in a Grand Rapids house Thursday evening has stunned police.

A 79-foot blue whale carcass rests on the sand at Agate Beach in Bolinas. (May 26, 2017)
Scientists from the Marine Mammal Center identified the whale as a sub-adult female measuring at about 79 feet in length. The scientists on Friday collected skin and blubber samples for testing, and a full necropsy to determine the animal's cause of death is scheduled for Saturday.
This is just the ninth time in the Marine Mammal Center's 42-year history that their scientists have responded to a blue whale discovery.
Sources
Reddy and Raja were hit by lightning while taking shelter under trees, Osman was hit while working in his field. Meanwhile, the untimely rains coupled with strong gales damaged fruit orchards, especially mango and sweet lime.
The rains threw public life out of gear in several parts of Nalgonda, Suryapet and Yadadri districts. Power supply was snapped in many places. However, the showers brought respite to many who were struggling due to rising temperatures.
Conservation Office inspector Tobe Sprado said the jogger had hiked up to the flagpole and was proceeding back down another trial along the hillside when a brown-coloured black bear began pursuing him.
Sprado said the bear chased the man for about 500 metres.
"While he was confronting the bear he fell down," Sprado said. "The bear made contact with him and swiped at him with his paws, [but] he was able to get up and beat the bear off with sticks and rocks," he said adding that the bear left the man alone after that.
The man then continued down the trial and went to the hospital where he was treated for minor scrapes he sustained from the bear attack, Sprado said.
The attack was possibly predatory in nature, and occurred at about 2:30 p.m.











Comment: See also: Entomologists: Where have all the insects gone?
Vanishing act: Why insects are disappearing and why it matters