Science News Review

Attack of the Killer Bee… er, Bee Killer

Feb 7 at 9:09pm by Aileen

Bloomberg reported today that whatever killed the bees last year is back again this year, threatening some $15 billion worth of crops that depend on bees for pollination.

Honeybee Deaths Resume in U.S. Hives cites the USDA’s top honeybee researcher as saying that the effects of continuing Colony Collapse Disorder should become apparent by the end of the month, when growers will see how effective the pollination of California’s huge almond crop has been.

“Colony Collapse Disorder” is a fancy name for an unknown entity, since no one has been able to figure out what’s killing the bees. The bees that have been found (most just disappear) have devastated immune systems, but still no one knows what, exactly, they’re dying of. The US lost a quarter of all hives in 2006 and 2007, and may lose that much or more this year despite the importation of Australian bees to replenish the supply.

Some experts think a virus is responsible, others say that any illness could easily kill bees whose immune systems have been seriously compromised, so it’s whatever is attacking immune systems that is the real killer. Dead bees that remain in the hives are infected with a host of pathogens - “every known bee virus” according to UK’s The Independent newspaper - not just one. Some bees were carrying five or six viruses at the same time, along with fungal infections. That is more likely to be a pesticide or herbicide being used on the crops or on neighboring crops, though others claim it’s just stress.

Some experts in Europe, where Colony Collapse Disorder is hitting Germany hard, are concerned about pollen from genetically modified crops, many of which contain microbial toxins - pesticide - in every cell. If that turns out to be the issue, farmers may end up with restrictions on growing genetically engineered crops in regions where bee pollinated crops are also grown. Research demonstrating that the transgenes in GE crops have migrated to wild plants may make restrictions a moot point, however, and we’ll just have to come up with another way to pollinate crops.

Links:

Honeybee Deaths Resume in U.S. Hives

NRDC: The Bees’ Needs

The Silence of the Bees

European Bees Also Taking a Nosedive - Perhaps GM Crops?