The Buzz about the Bees

Wednesday May 6 2009 (foodconsumer.org) -- The parasite that has caused 50 percent of beehives to disappear in recent years has been successfully isolated and treated by Spanish researchers, reports the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.

Nosema ceranae, a pathogenic microbe, is thought to be one cause of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a worldwide syndrome in beehives that has puzzled beekeepers and scientists for five years, says the Academy’s release of April 30.

“Since 2004, beekeepers have been reporting the perplexing disappearance of worker bees from honeybee colonies,” says the release. “Pollinator species are responsible for the propagation of more than 90 different food crops worldwide and contribute to $15 billion of the agricultural industry.”

The United States Department of Agriculture reports that in October of 2006 beekeepers began reporting losses of 30 to 90 percent of their hives, and added, “The magnitude of loss suffered by some beekeepers was highly unusual.”

Bee pollination is responsible for billions in added crop value, says the USDA, particularly for almonds and other nuts, berries, fruits and vegetables. About one third of the nation’s diet comes directly or indirectly from honey bee pollination.

In California, the almond crop alone uses 1.3 million colonies of bees, about one half of all honey bees in the U.S., and that need is projected to rise to 1.5 million colonies by 2010.

The advent of pathogens and pesticides has been a concern for bee colony health since the 1980s, says the USDA, which along with scientists worldwide has been studying the phenomenon.

Researchers have pinpointed a variety of possible causes for the beehives’ depletion, from environmental factors to management practices.

A “perfect storm of existing stresses” may have weakened the colonies, leading to collapse as stress compromises the immune system and makes colonies more susceptible to disease. Nosema has been viewed as a candidate for the problem for years.

Honey bees going AWOL is not a new problem. Scientific data has mentioned honey bee disappearances since the 1880s, and includes reports from the 1920s and the 1960s. In 1903, for instance, in the Cache Valley in Utah, 2000 colonies were lost to an unknown “disappearing disease” after a hard winter. In 1995, Pennsylvania beekeepers lost 53 percent of their colonies without an identifiable cause.

The USDA was advising the public in 2008 to use pesticides discriminately and to avoid spraying at mid-day when honey bees are most likely to be foraging for nectar. They also suggest planting good nectar sources such as red clover, foxglove, bee balm and joe-pye weed.

(By Sheilah Downey, and edited by Heather Kelley)