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Customers sometimes ask for my point of view, as an entomologist,
exactly what is happening to the honey bee population? According to
the experienced beekeepers I’ve interviewed and written comments by
entomologists who specialize in honey bee genetics, behavior,
pathology and toxicology, no one seems to have the definitive answer
to the cause or causes of honey bee colony collapse disorder (CCD).
There is much speculation and educated guessing going on.
Whatever the cause, the effect on honey bee colonies is that most
or all the bees disappear from their hives. There are no dead honey
bees to examine for causal agents such as pathogens and toxins. My
investigation into the extent of honey bee CCD has revealed that
beekeepers nationwide are experiencing this phenomenon. In fact
some authorities speculate that wild colonies of (European) honey
bees (as opposed to introduced Africanized honey bees) have
disappeared to the point where they are nearly extinct in the
developed regions of the continental United States; therefore,
nearly all the honey bees we encounter are bred in boxed hives by
commercial and amateur beekeepers.
Early on, some experts on social insects believed that the causal
agent interferes with the bees' ability to process sensory input,
causing serious disorientation of the bees, so that when they leave
the hive to scout and forage, they become unable to find their way
back to the colony. Another hypothesis proposes that honey bees
affected by any kind of ailment will instinctively avoid returning
to the hive so as not to infect the colony. Those who have voiced
opinions on natural causes of CCD have suggested pathogenic fungi,
microsporidians (i.e., Nosema ceranae), viruses (e.g., Israeli acute
paralysis virus or IAPV and Kashmir bee virus or KBV), bacteria, and
parasitic mites (e.g., the Varroa mite and the tracheal mite).
Others have attributed CCD to human influences, such as pesticides
and microwaves associated with networks of cellular carrier towers.
However, there is no scientific data to support these latter
accusations at this point. Unfortunately, the facts never stopped
anti-pesticide activists from throwing out junk science to
attack low risk chemistries in the past. I'm sure we'll see more
and more of this in the years to come.
In light of the fact that some beekeepers and environmentalists
do blame pesticides for honey bee CCD, it would be a good idea for
those of us who use pesticides outdoors, especially in agriculture
and landscape management, to apply them judiciously and
strategically so as to not jeopardize colonies of honeybees and
populations of other beneficial organisms in suburban and rural
settings.
European Honey Bee Subspecies
Italian honey bee: Apis mellifera ligusta
European honey bee: Apis mellifera carnica
German honey bee:
Apis mellifera mellifera
The aggressive Africanized honey bee is Apis mellifera scutellata.
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