Editor's Note: This story is a supplement to the feature "Solving the Mystery of the Vanishing Bees."
Overview
Overview
Researchers have looked into virtually all aspects of honeybee life in search of the culprit behind colony collapse. The work has exonerated some suspects and has pointed to possible combinations of factors that can cause or contribute to CCD.
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8 Comments
Add CommentLets face some pretty basic facts here; CCD is most likely caused or aggravated by the practice of farmers and beekeepers in moving whole colonies around the country like chess pieces. This exposes these bees to areas of the country that they would not normally be located and the various combinations of insecticides and other environmental chemicals as well as exposing the bees to mites and other parasites. We humans are to blame for CCD and we will all pay the price in the end for our short sited policies related to the unregulated transport of bees across state lines in search of greater profits.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe practice of pollinating crops using bees transported to the site is fufilling humanity's responsibility to care for our planet appropriately. Our short sighted policies are those that either involve careless contamination of the environment or involve the propagation of idealistic social agendas doomed to failure.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAccording to European researchers, the transgenics are cause of the weakening of the bee's health.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThey found not only the mortality of the ecosystem inside the beehive (wax moths) but also an effect between the transgenic pollen and the nosema infections, which caused increased mortality.
Sabugosa-Madeira, J. B., Abreu, I., Ribeiro, H. & Cunha, M. (2007). Bt transgenic maize pollen and the silent poisoning of the hive. Journal of apicultural research 46: 57-58.
Sabugosa Madeira - 2009
Kaatz, H.-H. ( 2005) Effects of Bt maize pollen on the honeybee. Jena University, Institute of Nutrition and Environment
My father has been a beekeeper longer than my own 50 years. His bees have always remained local--a 20 mile radius or so-- yet his bees suffer from the same disorder. So for him, moving the colonies is probably not the problem. He has kept a journal the entire time as to what blooms when, weather patterns and conditions, yeilds per colony, etc.. He has gotten some success with hatching new queens late in September. Yet he is still baffled as to the cause.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisColony collapse is caused by artificial hives
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisUnhygienic hives create a breeding ground for bee illnesses and explain the many illnesses attributed to "colony collapse disorder".
The design of domestic (artificial) bee hives make bees vulnerable to pests (for an illustration see http://vandermerwe.co.nz/?p=8 )
Organic and in-organic dirt land at the bottom of the beehive (the hive entrance). Bees walk in and out over accumulated dirt, providing an ideal opportunity for Varroa, pests and disease to spread.
The hive is an ecosystem that include bees and bee pests. The introduction of the artificial hive has changed this ecosystem, allowing pests to evolve their behavior to gain a competitive advantage. This explains the delay since the introduction of artificial hives and the onset of colony collapse disorder.
Regards
Kris van der Merwe
Regrettably, I don't think it's due to artificial hives or bee farming technique. This problem is observable across multiple bee species and affects wild and farmed populations. My father has also kept bees for a long time, and new swarms of bees are excruciatingly rare. There are fewer wasps, hornets, and bumblebees as well.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPlease see my comments on "Solving the mystery of the vanishing bees"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisJohn Harding Founder and Discoverer of Saving The Honeybee without Chemicals
Please see my brief review published last June 2010 "The puzzle of honey bee losses: a brief review".
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.bulletinofinsectology.org/pdfarticles/vol63-2010-153-160maini.pdf