Fauna Journal Entry

Honeybees Still Hurting in U.S. (May 26, 2008)

Honeybee colonies in the United States are still hurting. For the second year in a row, the number of commercial hives in the country dropped sharply. A recent survey shows more than one-third of the hives were lost over the last year.

About 30 percent of the deaths were blamed on the mysterious disease called colony collapse disorder (CCD). It causes adult bees to completely abandon their hive. In recent years, the disease has wiped out billions of honeybees in the United States and other parts of the world.

Strangely, no bee remains are found around colonies that have collapsed. The bees likely fly away before they die. Normally, a weakened colony is quickly taken over by bees from other colonies or pests looking to raid the honey. But colonies hit with CCD usually stay untouched for two weeks or more.

Last year, researchers had a breakthrough in understanding CCD. They found traces of a paralyzing virus in nearly every infected colony. Colonies not affected by CCD were free of the virus.

The virus is one of many problems facing the bees. Honeybees are also under attack from parasitic mites. The bee virus may have entered the country in bees brought from Australia to replace those killed by the parasites. Some sick bee colonies were infected with fungus or bacteria. Poor nutrition may be another factor. Some weakened colonies were in drought-hit areas where nectar was scarce. Less rain means fewer flowers and harder times for bees. Pesticides and other toxins in the environment add even more stress.

Honeybees do much more than make honey. Along with birds, bats, and some other insects, they are important pollinators of crops, including many kinds of nuts, fruits, and vegetables. About three-fourths of all flowering plants depend on pollinators for fertilization.