Paul,  its in specific areas where bees fail to thrive - NOT  necessarily 
all  intensive
agriculture.  In particular, the  corn belt - where it is a corn  desert.  
I spent some time there  last summer, even the barns are falling in - its 
corn, corn, and more corn -  with an occasional soybean field - did see one 
potato field.
 
Since the farmers don't grow anything else, even most of the cattle and  
other animals are gone, hence the barns falling in, rotting away.
 
So, I suspect that the big issue is that this is a huge monoculture.   In 
IL, you can drive from east to west across much of the state and see nothing  
but corn.  Didn't see many beehives, and I can imagine that there's not  
much for bee other than corn. 
 
They plant the corn almost up to the road, and the narrow green  strip btw 
road and fields is often mowed or hit with herbicides.  Corn  pollen 
reportedly has a low (~15%) crude protein - its usually accepted  that bees need 
20% or better for a good diet.  Its also deficient on at  least one essential 
amino acid.  
 
So, bees don't have much to forage.  I'm rather surprised that they  can 
make it all in much of the areas that I saw last summer.
 
Also, I said NOTHING about CCD.  Failure to thrive, in my  mind,  means - 
colonies do poorly - not necessarily die.  You added the CCD issue  to this 
disccusion.
 
Jerry


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