"I am, how do you zay...c'est innozent!"
Posted on 12/28/2006 9:00:01 AM PST by B-Chan
Fort Meade beekeeper David Adams is facing a mysterious plight shared by his counterparts in Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina and elsewhere: Their bee colonies are being decimated at an alarming rate, and the cause is unknown. Starting in mid-August, Adams lost a third of his 900 hives within the course of a few weeks. The seemingly healthy colonies just disappeared, he said, echoing reports from beekeepers across the country.
"It's become a serious problem for beekeepers, myself included," said Adams of Adams Honey & Pollination. "We're on the ropes."
The phenomenon, termed "Fall Dwindle Disease," is discussed in a preliminary report published last week by researchers in Pennsylvania and Florida.
Seven commercial beekeepers interviewed for the report claimed hive losses ranging from 30 percent to 90 percent, and one beekeeper said he expected just nine of his 1,200 colonies to survive the winter.
"Many beekeepers are openly wondering if the industry can survive," states the report, compiled by researchers from Pennsylvania State University and the Florida and Pennsylvania departments of agriculture.
"There are serious concerns that losses are so great that there will not be enough bees to rebuild colony numbers in order (to) service the pollination needs and to maintain economic viability in these beekeeping operations," it said.
In addition to honey producers, fall dwindle poses a serious threat to a $15 billion pollination industry that supports the nation's fruit, nut and vegetable crops each year.
Without honeybee pollination, the food supply could decrease by a third, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture, causing significant harm to citrus and blueberry production and virtually eliminating watermelons, cucumbers and squash.
Jerry Bromenshenk, a researcher from the University of Montana, examines a hive afflicted with "fall dwindle" near Brewster.
Although bee experts have identified several possible culprits, a prevailing theory has yet to emerge on the source of fall dwindle.
University of Florida professor Jamie Ellis said the disease might be the work of varroa mites, a pest of honeybees that transmit viruses.
Then again, fall dwindle might also be connected to bacteria, weather patterns, chemical buildup in honeycombs or stress from being transported for commercial pollination, Ellis said.
"It's a hodgepodge of factors that every few years seems to kill bees," said Ellis, an associate professor of entomology at UF. "It does seem to come in cycles, and it certainly seems to be getting worse."
Fall dwindle can be likened to what has been called Disappearing Disease, a condition first reported in 1915, according to Ohio State University professor James E. Tew. The characteristics varied in each case, save for one similarity: A mysterious absence of adult bees in afflicted hives.
Because of its elusive, fleeting nature and loosely-connected symptoms, experts have no solution for fall dwindle. But a new effort has begun to study the condition.
Jerry Bromenshenk, a research professor at the University of Montana, visited an apiary in Bradley, near Mulberry, and other sites Thursday to collect data on afflicted hives.
Using experimental technology, he and colleagues plan to use audio samples, chemical analysis and beekeeper surveys to help find a link in fall dwindle cases and perhaps uncover their origin.
"It's really a head-scratcher as to what it is," said Bromenshenk, who has been noted for his work using bees to detect land mines and toxic chemicals. "We're doing detective work at the moment. Lots and lots of candidates, but no answers yet."
Might be from high levels of BPP.
My 15 yr. old daughter was the one in our family who walked across this hive while mowing our yard. She got stung about 1/2 dozen times. Very painful. Now she wants extra pay as "workmans comp"! ;-)
Really. That's very interesting. I never knew that skunks were bee predators.
For Christmas, I was given a textbook from 1893 (used by my great-grandmother)... the text is so fun to read, so lively.
Considering that bees have been found trapped in amber millions of years old, I think they'll not just disappear so easily.
When I was in college, I went to the Alumni office where they had a complete yearbook history going back to the mid 1860's. My grandfather was in the 1920 yearbook. Reserve quarterback (Fighting Illini) when they wore no helmuts ;-). He also sang tenor in the "Mens Glee and Mandolin Club" and, yes, they were wearing raccoon coats and the front row were all holding ukeleles. It was hilarious.
We have had this problem in Pennsylvania for at least ten years, and it seems that wasps, bumble bees, and yellow jackets have filled the niche. As for the cause, the local buzz (sorry) is that it is two species of mites that get into the hives of honey bees and devour the larvae.
(that Honey can attract Bees and Me!)
I guess it's time for Plan C
Bees or yellow jackets? I'm not familiar with bees making nests in the groud, yellow jackets do, and they're mean and will chase people.
Without bees, many people will starve.
FWIW, my wife and I have 4 hives, all did poorly this summer. We don't expect 3 of them to make it through the winter, and the 4th probably only has a 50% chance.
We used to have over 50 hives of honey bees in Texas during the 1960 era, and lost everyone to the wax-worm. It eats the honeycomb and kills the unhatched eggs. One or several queens will swarm away to other areas and reestablish new swarms.
This will just run thru a cycle, and wild honey bees will reappear in dead, hollow trees. Within a few years, we had over 50 hives again and lost most to another outbreak.
One is the Varroa mite, I can't think of the other's name.
This is affecting western honey bees, brought here by Europeans abouyt 300 years ago. The mite I named above came from SE Asia, probably Vietnam, by an infected queen. The Asian bees groom, western bees do not.
Native American bees (i.e. the bumble bee) aren't the pollen gathering/honey producing work horses that honey bees are.
Same here in NC. The summer after we moved here, (10 years ago), we planted a garden and the veg that needed bees for pollination such as zucchini, cucumbers were all small and mishapen. When we spoke to the extension agent, he told us that the bee population had been decimated by a mite and that there weren't enough to ensure proper pollination.
We havewn't planted zucchini or cukes soince, but our neighbor has adn from what I have had of his produce I thought bees must be making a comeback. Pollination seems better now.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.