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March 13, 2007
Where have all the Honey Bee's Gone?
A problem that's plaguing bee populations across the country has become a huge concern in the agricultural industry.
It's called Colony Collapse Disorder and so far bee colonies in 22 states have been affected.
Beekeepers are stumped as to what's causing their colonies to seemingly vanish into thin air.
"The hives appear to be healthy. Everything seems to be right. The queen's right, hive's right, smells right and then you go in a couple of weeks later it's empty, no one's home. There's just a few sort of disoriented bees, queen is gone, there's no brood, it's like a catastrophic evacuation."
Honeybees pollinate one out of three foods we eat. Scientists hope to have an answer as to what's causing the colony collapse disorder before the food industry sees a devastating impact.
So far there are several possible suspects. The varroa mite, a parasite that sucks the blood of both adult and larval bees, is a well-known nemesis that can weaken a hive and set the stage for viral devastation.
But another mysterious factor is at work. "Something's causing the bees to be particularly weak, and that then allows the mites and the viruses to do their job," There may be a pathogen not previously observed -- "perhaps a fungal disease,". The third suspect is environmental contaminants. A number of new pesticides are toxic to honey bees, and could be negatively impacting the colonies in several ways.
Pesticide use in large, single-crop farms wipes out many other sources of pollination, so many farmers resort to "hives for hire," and rent hives of honey bees while the plants are blooming. The average hive earns $50 to $100 annually in rent, $125 to $150 in the case of California's almond crop. Beekeepers, already losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in pollination revenue, are importing bees from Australia to rebuild their hives by the summertime, according to the American Beekeeping Federation.
Posted by sue at March 13, 2007 10:26 AM