Colony collapse is truly alarming
What's killing off bees at an alarming rate since 2006? Why should you care?
Honeybees affect crop yields. Their pollination practices are responsible for hundreds of foods, from apples and almonds to watermelon and zucchini. That's an economic impact of $15 billion to farmers and food producers in the United States.
On April 19 at 7 p.m. at the Magic Lantern in Spokane, you can watch a film to learn about Colony Collapse Disorder and how it impacts you.
CCD was identified in 2006 when hives went silent almost overnight, although honeybees have been disappearing - yes, disappearing - longer. Their populations are down by a third.
CCD describes adult worker bees flying off, abandoning their hives. In 2006 thousands of them went missing, bodies never to be found. The USDA responded by devoting $20 million annually to fund research to identify cause and, hopefully, solution.
The answer is far from certain, but current suspects are basically pesticides. Viruses and genetic wing problems are part of the picture, but scientists suspect effects of 121 different pesticides - harmless to humans, but found in the hives by researchers - may cause the bees to be more vulnerable to weakness and illnesses. A 2009 University of Illinois study author called the bee deaths "an overload" of contributing causes on a weakened body.
In 2010 one San Joaquin Valley producer told the Associated Press bee losses were three times that of the previous year.
The latest bee study, also at the University of Illinois, was published this January in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers examined eight species of North American bumble bees. Four showed serious declines, with losses ranging from 23 to 96 percent. Researcher Sydney Cameron warned the decline may be the tip of an iceberg; 42 more species were not part of the study.
For more information on CCD see USDA.gov. For more about the film call (509) 328-2939.
Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Email sholehjo@hotmail.com