'The bees are just not surviving': Local honey producers losing colonies at alarming rate

'The bees are just not surviving': Local honey producers losing colonies at alarming rate

BATTLE LAKE, Minn. — The numbers alone are troubling. In the breadbasket of honey production, nearly all beekeepers are witnessing more than half their bee colonies collapsing. North Dakota is No. 1 and Minnesota is No. 5 in honey production in the U.S. But veteran beekeepers are worried about the future of the industry. The Hull family near Battle Lake has been producing honey since the late 1800s. "This is a bee smoker, we use it when we need…