I had mentioned the problem of bees disappearing, referred to as Colony Collapse Disorder, back in April. A solution has yet to be found, but a clue is finally giving researchers a direction to go in. Apparently, bees have been imported from Australia over the years, and those bees might have introduced a virus they are resistant to into the American bee population. There is still a lot of work to do because it’s not known if this virus is actually fully responsible, partly responsible or is just a dead end.
Bee ecology expert and University of Florida professor Jamie Ellis said earlier this year that genetic weakness bred into bees over time, pathogens spread by parasites and the effects of pesticides and pollutants might be other factors.
More information here.
