More discouraging statistics this week from the Apiary Inspectors of America: 36.1 percent of commercially managed beehives in the U.S. have been lost in the past year. While the group only began to track these numbers last year when Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) was first appearing, the two years of losses add up to a bleak picture for honeybees. These drops are undoubtedly unsustainable over the long term and the situation is not improving.

Scientists still are unsure what caused the massive decline in bee populations last year. It could be part of a natural cycle or the result of something more insidious—but one thing is clear, both food producers and consumers will suffer if the drop continues.