Trump fired the scientists saving America's bees. Now he's closing their lab.
https://www.rawstory.com/shutting-down-federal-bee-labs-threatens-bees-beekeepers-and-the-us-food-system/Trump fired the scientists saving America's bees. Now he's closing their lab.
America’s bees and beekeepers are losing a valuable ally just when they need its help most.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to soon close the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, a 6,500-acre agricultural research station in Maryland that is home to the nation’s premier bee research and disease diagnosis hub, the Beltsville Bee Research Lab.
The closure comes at a critical moment for bees. In winter 2025, many beekeepers lost over half their operations as pesticide-resistant
varroa mites spread, bringing deadly viruses. The losses have led to low honey production
, and soaring fuel costs have made shipping bees cross-country for agricultural pollination increasingly expensive, further stressing the industry.
During my 14 years researching bees and beekeepers, and in writing my new book, “Bitter Honey: Big Ag’s Threat to Bees and the Fight to Save Them,” I’ve seen beekeepers frequently turn to the USDA bee labs for support during crises like this. Because honey bees contribute roughly US$15 billion to U.S. crop production – native and managed bees pollinate more than 130 crops – these labs help stabilize the nation’s food system.
Today, that scientific support system is at risk, just as beekeepers face their greatest challenges and native bee populations continue to decline.
Why the Beltsville Bee Lab matters
USDA’s bee researchers have served beekeepers for over 130 years, including nearly 90 years at the Beltsville station. One of the Beltsville Bee Lab’s standout services is its bee disease diagnostic service, where beekeepers can send samples for analysis free of charge.
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"where beekeepers can send samples for analysis free of charge."
The billionaire fascists hate it when YOUR government uses YOUR tax dollars to help YOU. That's not what government is for, in their minds. Government is for extracting your tax dollars and showering largesse on themselves and their cronies. They are VERY much into "wealth transfer". They have the plebes in outright culture war, bickering over the supposed "fraud" in various systems, trying to convince the public that "the problem" is that YOUR tax money is going to THOSE undeserving people, due to nefarious "globalist" schemes and the Deep State and all that fucking rot.
Whereas, of course, in reality, "the problem" is that YOUR tax dollars are going straight into the pockets of the Elite, in particular, those who suck up to, and enrich, one Donald J. Trump, who DON'T DO SHIT TO HELP THE PUBLIC with that money if they can possibly avoid doing so.
The Trump regime is biggest FRAUD scheme in all of human history. When the tally is totaled in the end, mark my words, it will be found that a STAGGERING sum of money was distributed to newly-sprung fly-by-night LLC's, who not only never delivered what the taxpayers paid for, but didn't even honestly try to do so in the first place.
It's always projection with these people. The more the regime attempts to focus on "rooting out fraud", the more you know that they're themselves committing fraud.
Anyways, the point in shutting down these types of facilities is that are actually SERVING CITIZENS with their tax dollars, doing something that benefits, frankly, everyone. Trump and his cronies want to take our tax money, and give NOTHING back to anyone. They fundamentally see government as a machine by which they can grift and enrich themselves. 
