Statement on Annual Winter Honey Bee Loss Survey (2013/2014)

May 14, 2014

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (May 15, 2014) – The survey is encouraging news to everyone who cares about bee health. Overwintering losses of managed honey bee colonies were among the lowest levels seen in the eight years since these surveys have been recorded. Despite the lower winter losses, the annual report also included information on increased summer colony losses, and these results indicate that managed bee colonies remain under serious stress and a critical issue for agriculture. Perhaps the most important factor affecting bee health is the Varroa mite, which the USDA and leading scientists have identified as a primary contributor to colony decline.

Bayer CropScience is working with state, federal and agricultural stakeholders to develop a comprehensive effort to promote bee health. These efforts include expanding available forage for pollinators, adoption of best management practices for agriculture and apiculture, and more focused research on protecting bees from the invasive Varroa mite. For more than 25 years, Bayer has been committed to finding solutions to improve honey bee health and promote agricultural sustainability. As part of this commitment, we recently opened our new North American Bee Care Center, a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to improving bee health through collaborative research, education and training.

Bayer CropScience Twitter Page:
http://twitter.com/bayer4cropsus

Bayer CropScience Blog:
http://connect.bayercropscience.us

Bayer CropScience is committed to bringing new technology and solutions for agriculture and non-agricultural uses. For questions concerning the availability and use of products, contact a local Bayer CropScience representative, or visit Bayer CropScience online at www.bayercropscience.us.

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About Bayer CropScience
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care,
agriculture and high-tech materials. Bayer CropScience, the subgroup of Bayer AG responsible for the agricultural business, has annual sales of EUR 8,819 million (2013) and is one of the world’s leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of seeds, crop protection and non-agricultural pest control. The company offers an outstanding range of products including high value seeds, innovative crop protection solutions based on chemical and biological modes of action as well as an extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture. In the area of non-agricultural applications, Bayer CropScience has a broad portfolio of products and services to control pests from home and garden to forestry applications. The company has a global workforce of 22,400 and is represented in more than 120 countries. This and further news is available at: www.press.bayercropscience.com.


Contact:

Bayer CropScience Media Hotline, 1-877-879-6162, or

Beth Roden
Head of Communications & Bayer CropScience NA Coordinator
Bayer CropScience
Tel: (919) 549-2030
Email: beth.roden@bayer.com

USA-BCS-2014-0111

Find more information at www.bayercropscience.us.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.