MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — A slow change in agricultural practices is having an unintended consequence: limiting food for bees.
Since the 1980s, Vermont has lost more than 100,000 acres of hay fields that used to be full of bee friendly blooming alfalfa and clover. That means bees today aren't finding as many flowering plants as they need to flourish. And while hay is still grown, it is often cut before it can bloom, making it more nutritious for cows but bad for bees.