OK, while that counts as hearsay (no published data AFAIK), I will accept
that some beekeepers in the midwest are happy with their bees and the
agriculture around their bees.

Bees are subject to a number of stressors.  Each environment presents a
different "titer" of those stressors.  They include:

Disease
Lack of adequate forage
Overcrowding
Chemicals that affect their physiology (or outright kill them) Weather Bad
beekeeping



2 points,  1,  not hearsay,  read the crop production reports.  They are
published on a regular basis.  Honey numbers are up.


2,  you pointed out some great stressors,  but you missed by far the most
important one when it comes to this discussion.   Weather.    Once again
here in IL  we got shorted, not by pesticides,  but by mother nature. 5
weeks of literally constant rain during the honey flow,  is going to bump
winter losses again.



Charles

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