Bee colony collapse, is the pollen toxic ? Is it GM food ? Is it Bee-flu ? What is it ?

Your question is excellent - honey bees all over North America HAVE been disappering lately. In Pennsylvania alone, it is estimated that 75% of the honeybees have died in recent months. Why is this? It's caused by a new disease (CCD).



I'm a beekeeper, and so am somewhat familiar with "Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)". Thankfully - my hives are still intact and growing strong (so far).



- While the exact mechanisms of CCD remain unknown, (no one really knows for sure if it's due to toxic pollen, GM food or 'bee-flu' as you suggested...)malnutrition, pesticides, pathogens, immunodeficiencies, mites, fungus, genetically modified (GM) crops, bee rentals and electromagnetic radiation have all been proposed as causative agents.



But what we DO know is that if CCD wipes out all the honeybees - we're in a HEAP of trouble.



- It seems that a very high percentage (25-90%) of the bees are simply disappearing and not returning to the hive. No one is sure at this time what the cause is, but, we do have the following clues, effects, and speculations:



- CCD was first reported in America in mid-November 2006



- The effect of CCD is that millions of bees have simply vanished, leaving unborn bees beehind. In most cases, all that's left in the hives are the doomed offspring (not enough bees stay to keep the hive flourishing). Dead bees are typically nowhere to be found - they just vanish.



- Nearly all surviving bees afflicted by CCD carry multiple fungal infections, indicating that the bees are being immunosuppressed.



- in many instances, neighboring bees and other critters are not even raiding the collapsed hives (ie, going after the honey) as would be expected. This suggests the presence of a deterrent chemical or toxin in affected hives.



- beekeepers who frequently moved their hives (ie, to orchards for pollination) appear more likely to be afflicted.



- The genome of the honeybee is yielding some clues. Researchers have compared it with that of other insects, including the fruit fly and the mosquito. They have found that bees cannot make an enzyme that other insects use to help eliminate toxins from the body. This could leave bees at risk of poisoning.



- genetically modified plants are suspected to be the culprit, and may be creating what I would call a "cascading effect" in a complex cycle that causes bees to become infected by other diseases. Some hive survivors (scant few) have been found with multiple infections. Because of this, some researchers are working on the idea that the insects' immune systems have failed.



- During the week of April 23rd, the US Department of Agriculture convened a workshop of apiarists and federal and university scientists to suggest some answers.



Some crops are completely dependent on honeybees, and since most honeybees are owned by beekeepers, this loss will have a serious impact on food production.



And all of this follows close on the heels of the crises that seemed to be only worsening in recent years because of the varroa and tracheal mites:

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/c...

Bee colony collapse, is the pollen toxic ? Is it GM food ? Is it Bee-flu ? What is it ?
never heard of bee-flu.

you would have to run test to determine if it was toxic.