Prime Suspect Discovered in Bee Colony Collapse

by FishOutofWater
Thu Sep 06, 2007 at 12:27:43 PM PDT

The mystery of the disappearing honey bees may have been solved, or at least a reliable clue has been found. In North America Fifty to ninety percent European honey bee colonies have vanished, threatening American agriculture. A prime suspect has now been identified.

Genetic research showed that Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) turned up regularly in hives affected by Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

Primary source article: A Metagenomic Survey of Microbes in Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder

Modern beekeepers transport bees across the country to pollinate the crops of modern agribusiness. Bees are now transported globally, increasing the opportunity for spread of viruses and parasites. Evidence has now been uncovered that North American bees may have become infected by a shipment of infected bees from Australia.

Also open is the question of how the virus arrived in the US. One finger of suspicion points to Australia, from where the US began importing honeybees in 2004 - the very year that CCD appeared in US hives.

The researchers found IAPV in Australian bees, and they are now planning to go back through historical US samples to see if the Antipodean imports really were the first carriers.

If they were, the US might consider closing its borders to Australian bees.

But closing the borders after a virus has been allowed into America is like closing the barn door after the horse has run off.

Reports of unusual colony deaths have come from at least 22 states. Some affected commercial beekeepers who often keep thousands of colonies have reported losing more than 50 percent of their bees. A colony can have roughly 20,000 bees in the winter, and up to 60,000 in the summer.

Along with being producers of honey, commercial bee colonies are important to agriculture as pollinators, along with some birds, bats and other insects. A recent report by the National Research Council noted that in order to bear fruit, three-quarters of all flowering plants including most food crops and some that provide fiber, drugs and fuel rely on pollinators for fertilization.

This is why global shipment of agricultural products, live animals, and biologically active materials needs to be carefully regulated. It will likely be impossible to eliminate the bee virus now that it has been introduced to North America. The epidemic will run its course and we will have to live with whatever the long-term effects are. There is no putting the genie back into the bottle. link