Finally, Some Good News About The Future Of Bees

The solution for declining bee populations may be in the wild.

In the last decade, bee populations have been dying off at alarming rates -- declining up to 30 percent annually. The reason can be traced to a deadly combination of agricultural pesticides and invasive parasites, which can easily transfer between bees in the cramped conditions of managed colonies.  

But according to Tom Seeley, a professor of neurobiology and behavior at Cornell University, wild bees may hold the key to a solution for the huge die-offs. Seeley's preliminary studies show that wild bees in upstate New York's Arnot Forest have withstood mite infestations since 2002, and thus, could offer crucial clues for how to help struggling bees in managed colonies. 

In the latest episode of the HuffPost Originals series "Talk Nerdy To Me," host Karah Preiss sits down with Seeley to learn how "bee hunting" -- tracking down bees in their natural habitat to understand their biology -- could help prevent the collapse of more colonies. 

Check it out in the video above. 

This video was produced by Adriane Giebel, Karah Preiss and Liz Martinez, edited by Adriane Giebel and Mark Dubbs, and shot by Pascal Perich, Terence Krey and Maria Tridas. 

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Before You Go

11 Science Facts That Seem Like Science-Fiction
(01 of11)
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The human brain takes in 11 million bits of information every second but is aware of only 40. (credit:Shutterstock)
(02 of11)
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If you drilled a tunnel straight through the Earth and jumped in, it would take you exactly 42 minutes and 12 seconds to get to the other side. (credit:Shutterstock)
(03 of11)
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A medium-sized cumulus cloud weighs about the same as 80 elephants. (credit:Shutterstock)
(04 of11)
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A single bolt of lightning contains enough energy to cook 100,000 pieces of toast. (credit:Shutterstock)
(05 of11)
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Gorillas and potatoes have two more chromosomes than humans do. (credit:Shutterstock)
(06 of11)
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Human saliva contains a painkiller called opiorphin that is six times more powerful than morphine. (credit:Shutterstock)
(07 of11)
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In an average lifetime, human skin completely replaces itself 900 times. (credit:Shutterstock)
(08 of11)
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The air in an average-sized room weighs about 100 pounds. (credit:Shutterstock)
(09 of11)
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Lava can flow as fast as a sprinting greyhound. (credit:Getty Images)
(10 of11)
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A red blood cell can make a complete circuit of your body in 20 seconds. (credit:Shutterstock)
(11 of11)
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The strongest creatures on Earth are gonorrhea bacteria. They can pull 100,000 times their own body weight. (credit:Shutterstock)