Dissappearing Bees

Honeybees in North America have not been having it very good since probably sometime in the 1980s. The bee population has since that time been affected by several negative factors to the point that many if not most of the wild honeybees have dissappeared from the US. The biggest threats up until recently were the intrusion of the Africanized bees and a couple of species of mites. Now there's something new.

Since last fall honeybees have been dissappearing. No, they're not being found dead, they're just not being found! Scientists are baffled and are hard at work trying to figure out exactly what is happening. Hives are being found emptied of bees or rather practically emptied of bees. Often it is just the queen and a few babies that are left in the hive, the tens of thousands of others have just apparently dissappeared. This is happening in many states, just over half of our nation, and the fear of it spreading is a serious concern.

This dissappearance has a name now. It is being called the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Hives that have been emptied show no sign of battle or illness that would explain the missing bees. There are no dead bees in the area. Often times the remaining bees do show signs of illness, but these are such that they are being considered perhaps normal under the circumstances since they are stress-induced illnesses, and I would imagine any remaining "baby bees" and the queen would be more than a bit stressed if every other bee left. Don't ya think?

Those researching this problem are trying to look at everything that they can in order to stop this problem as soon as possible. Factors such as global warming, genetically engineered crops, pesticides, herbicides, cell phone propagation, unknown pathogens, Martian bee vacuum are all being considered. Well... not the Martian bee vacuum, I added that in myself.

The big worry is really for the bees themselves. Dollars lost to agricultural interests could be severe because bees are vitally important for many of the crops that we (and our livestock) eat. Besides our own crops I would imagine that this problem with the bees going away could have a big impact on wildlife as well (in other words species in the wild...the food chain, not just some links of that chain we buy in the grocery store) and may endanger some other species if the cause is not found and the problem remedied soon.

Here's a map of the states that have reported CCD.

Here are a couple of news articles for you to read on the subject if you'd like. One from Alabama and one from Indiana.

More data can also be obtained from Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium (MAAREC) and the American Honey Producers Association (AHPA)