Researchers have identified a virus originating from Australia that may be contributing to Colony Collapse disorder. The pathogen in question is Israel acute paralysis virus (IAPV). It has been found in almost all collapsed colonies, but in almost none of the healthy ones. The pathogen has been found in Australia and many US beekeepers imported colonies from Australia in 2005. While the study is only an initial assessment, the researchers have shown a high mortality rate in bees infected when subject to stress. In the US, bees are often put under great stress in terms of frequent traveling and poor nutrition (high fructose corn syrup). If IAPV is the cause of CCD, there is hope. 20% of bees in Israel have show resistance to the virus.

There are a few skeptics: CCD isn’t a big problem in Canada and they have been importing Australian bees for years. Many scientists even believe this a natural bee decline, especially since most of the data is simply anecdotal from US beekeepers.

Takeaway
I don’t totally buy this. The sample size isn’t yet large enough to make the leap. I do believe CCD is a multiple cause issue, IAPV could be a contributing cause. The paper does show how biodiversity bees is key to long term survival. You hear that beekeepers? B-I-O-D-I-V-E-R-S-I-T-Y. Maintaining one species of bee on one limited diet creates a susceptible bee.

More Info:
Science Mag abstract
Science Friday podcast on the virus

During our last event, Timothy spoke to all the contributing factors being investigated as a cause of CCD (colony collapse disorder), the disorder that has resulted in a 30-70% decline in bee population over the past few years.

In the May issue of Science, compares historical data with current research to provide some answers.

Pesticides
One of the most common theories is that pesticides are killing off the hives. Pesticides first arrived on the scene post WW II, but similar colony collapses have been reported back as far as 1897.

Investigation of pesticides have been focused on a nicotine based compound called neonicotinoids, introduced in 1992. In the lab, a few of these compounds were shown to inhibit navigation or even cause death at higher doses. However, these results have not been reproduced in the field and moreover there has been no spike in usage of these pesticides over the last year. France banned one compound, imidacloprid, in 1999 after many beekepers had complained. Yet after 8 years, there seems to be no effect on the hive population in France.

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The video and pictures from the bee event are up.

Looking for shorter videos? Check out the DtaS videos now on YouTube.

KQED QUEST is running a program on bees airing tonight (what a coincidence that the DtaS event on Bees is tonight). This video is a great introduction to honey bees and the plight they face.

Colony Collapse Disorder…maybe you’ve heard about it, maybe not. The main point is honey bees are disappearing in many places throughout the country (30-70% decline in population). And the foremost bee scientists do not have a clear cut answer.

To be clear, we’re talking about honey bees. Out of 20,000 known species of bee…there are only 7 species of honey bee. Honey bees as we know them are non-native to the US. They were imported from Europe around 400 years ago. Up until the 1980s, most bees were kept by farmers in small colonies using age-old techniques. The agricultural industry has becoming increasing reliant on honey bees as pollinators for crops. Below is a table displaying the economics:

Commercial beekeeping has grown in the past years, with mobile beekeeping being the chief strategy. In mobile beekeeping, keepers move their hives around the country to coincide with pollinating times of various crops (apples in March, almonds in January, etc.). This strategy has inherent problems, chief among them introducing stress on the bees. In addition, less honey bees are used resulting in less biodiversity. In recent years, various parasites have decimated honey bees (Varroa mite).

Map of CCD infestation by state: