Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Executive Director of Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
PROFILE
Scott Hoffman Black
Guest
FROM Scott Hoffman Black
To the Point
Mysterious 'Colony Collapse Disorder' Threatens Food Chain Three times in the past 120 years, honeybees have disappeared for mysterious reasons. Twice since the 1980's, there have been infestations of bee-killing mites. But those episodes have been restricted to limited areas. Since last November, tens of billions of honeybees all over the country are flying away from their hives and never returning. Bees pollinate hundreds of fruits, vegetables, flowers and nuts worth $14 billion, and scientists have no idea why so many are disappearing. Is there another way to pollinate? Is the disappearance of honeybees related to genetically engineered crops? We talk with a beekeeper who's lost 60% of his insects and get a report on a two-day conference of bee experts investigating what's now called "colony collapse disorder."
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To the Point
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.