> Since the numbers of colonies appears to be increasing in every country, exactly what do you mean by the phrase?

Actually, I wrote the paragraph ten years ago, and I was just referring to what was being reported, not my own views on the subject. Still, if you search "honey bee decline" and "Pesticides" in Google Scholar, you get almost 300 references. 

"Bee decline" is mentioned several times in the "Proceedings of the 2018 COLOSS Conference, GR Williams, A Özkirim, M Bouga - Bee World, 2019." Personally, I wouldn't use colony numbers as a metric; so, what is the current state of honey bee health worldwide?

see also

Vilas-Boas, Miguel, M. Alice Pinto, Lionel Garnery, Hélène Legout, Vincent Douarre, Sylvie Houte, Francois Odoux et al. "Honeybee preservation centers in Western Europe: an innovative strategy using sustainable beekeeping to reduce honeybee decline." In 44th Apimondia International Apicultural Congress. 2015.

Peter L Borst

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