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What's killing bees overwintering in California? Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Agri News staff writer
FERGUS FALLS, Minn. -- It's as good as a CSI mystery. Migratory bee colonies are dying and entomologists and beekeepers are stumped about the cause.
Fergus Falls beekeeper David Sundberg says the phenomenon caused the loss of 40 percent to 50 percent of his 1,200 hives Sundberg Apiaries sent to California.
The mass bee deaths are causing concern for California almond growers, Sundberg said. Almond growers rely on bee pollination as do other nut and fruit growers and seed crop producers.
Entomologists are studying what some call "Colony Collapse Disorder." The deaths could be due to several factors, says University of Minnesota bee specialist Marla Spivak.
The industry is fighting a battle against the veroa mite that, after infesting bees, can compromise bee health making them more susceptible to other diseases. Commercial sprays have controlled the mite, but the pest has built a resistance to the compounds, Spivak said.
She's bred bees for mite resistance but says when the bees are in close quarters, similar to those they experience in California, and if other hives are infested with mites, the resistance does little good.
Spivak said early reports said that no bees were found in the hive. Later news said a few dead bees were found near a hive entrance and other reports said a few dead bees were found in the hive.
The drop in bee populations is most prevalent among migratory hives or hives beekeepers move across the country following the pollination seasons. Some beekeepers, who have migratory hives in isolated areas, have reported little if any bee loss, Spivak said.
Penn State, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, ag departments in Pennsylvania and Florida and Bee Alert Technology, a company affiliated with the University of Montana are among the universities and organizations investigation the drop in bee populations. The National Honey Board has pledged $13,000 of emergency funding towards the investigation. Sundberg says his son, Mark, a fourth-generation beekeeper, will return with the remaining hives in a few months. They still have good bee numbers and will split the remaining bees among vacant hives.
"We just hope this problem won't go beyond the losses the industry has already experienced," Sundberg said. |
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