Colony Collapse Disorder Suspects Named

Another year, another collapse in the honeybee population. Up to 40 percent of the honeybee population in the United States has suffered from Colony Collapse Disorder since 2006. The cause has been a great mystery, baffling scientists and farmers alike.

But there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel.

New research from a collaborative team of military scientists and entomologists has identified two leading culprits for CCD: fungus and virus. Each on its own is not strong enough to cause the massive die-offs. Working together, with just the right combination of cool and damp weather, the two invade honeybees and affect nutrition. Compromised, honeybees are unable to survive the one-two punch. Colonies are abandoned, honey food stores untouched.

Honeybees do much more than just produce honey. One-third of our food supply is possible through the hard work of honeybees. A wide variety of crops, from fruits to nuts, are the result of pollination. The task is so important that farmers rent colonies from beekeepers in order to insure adequate crop production. With around 3 million honeybee colonies gone (each holding a population of up to 40,000 bees), farmers have a lot to worry about.

While this new discovery may give us some answers, the researchers behind the study caution that the work is far from over. The combination of fungus and virus may be a cause, but is only one piece of the puzzle. Habitat loss and pesticides are also culprits in the disappearance of a wide variety of pollinator species, variables not factored into the study.

So what can we do to help protect pollinators and our crops? Native bumblebees are, for some crops, even better pollinators than the introduced honeybees well known for their role in crop production. And with the honeybee population in decline from CCD, farmers are turning to bumblebees as an alternative. It is now estimated that 15 percent of American crops are pollinated by bumblebees. Yet their survival is threatened by CCD as well.

Franklin’s bumblebee is one such species. The decline of Franklin’s bumblebee numbers has gotten to the point where experts like Robbin Thorp from U.C. Davis are urging U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to grant the bee protection under the Endangered Species Act. It appears that FWS isn’t giving the petition the due diligence that it deserves. Currently FWS lists the Franklin’s bumblebee as a species of concern, having dismissed two previous requests for endangered listing status.

In the end, the health and protection of pollinator species like honeybees and bumblebees is not solely for the enjoyment of the insect-lovers among us. CCD is one cause that can unite many industries together. After all, military scientists and entomologists couldn’t find the answer working independently. Let’s join the fight and help save threatened bumblebees from extinction.

Photo by rwwh