Beekeepers lose colonies of honeybees on a regular basis; a bee is a fragile creature with a short lifespan even in the best of times, and there are many, many issues that can cause the loss of a colony.

Honey bees have been working their alchemical magic for over 8,000 years, transforming flower nectar into the sweetness that is honey. Since ancient times, that syrupy goodness has been used for culinary, medicinal, and spiritual purposes across a broad swath of cultures worldwide.

Now that the world entomological community is in general agreement that the United States and global honeybee population is not, and has never been, threatened with extinction by pesticides, the focus of advocacy concern has suddenly shifted to wild bees.