State News

Statewide: Bees and beekeepers are losing an ally

NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS | By Sean Crawford

Published May 14, 2026 at 10:49 AM CDT

Beekeeper Mark Welsch checks on his bee hives in a community garden in Omaha, Nebraska, on March 9, 2026. Welsch lost nine of his hives last year during a widespread honeybee die-off.

When beekeepers are in trouble they turn to the nations top research lab. But the federal government is closing the Midwest lab and that has many worried about what it could for those who raise bees and the bees themselves.

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