Disorder Continues to Plague Bees, Challenge Scientists

Scientists and beekeepers around the world are continuing to seek explanations and antidotes to a mysterious affliction that has caused the disappearance and deaths of millions and millions of honeybees. The decline of the bee population has serious implications for Earth’s food supply because of the insects’ role in pollinating the flowering plants that produce the fruits and vegetables that are major components of the human diet, a beekeeper explained this weekend.

Scientific research is under way on several potential causes, including pesticides, a virus, stress, inbreeding and nutrition, but a definitive answer remains elusive and some media reports have been overly optimistic, George Kummer told the Van Cortlandtville Historical Society on Saturday, Feb. 19. Kummer, a director and past president of the organization, has been a beekeeper for 35 years and has 10 hives at his Cortlandt home.

The phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder was detected during the winter of 2005-06 and has affected an estimated one-third of the 2.6 million hives in the United States – an unprecedented scale – according to a PBS program, “Silence of the Bees,” which was shown by Kummer during his presentation. While sick bees traditionally leave their hive to die, the CCD mystery has been compounded by the disappearance of millions of bees without a trace, leaving scientists a dearth of specimens to study.

Bees and flowering plants evolved 100 million years ago and developed a textbook symbiotic relationship in which bees seek nectar from the plants they pollinate as they move from flower to flower. Honeybees pollinate one-third of the food grown in the United States, according to the PBS program, and three-quarters of the world’s plants rely on animal pollinators such as honeybees, bumblebees and butterflies. Corn, rice and wheat are among the few staples that do not depend on bees.

Pollination is a natural task but human demands have imposed an unnatural scale on the bees. A commercial beekeeper in the PBS program trucks his hives – containing 30,000 bees each – 5,500 miles a year, visiting orange groves in Florida, apple orchards in Pennsylvania and blueberry farms in Maine. Honey-craving bears are a constant threat to the hives.

Scientists have sought a new pathogen in sick and dead bees, and a recently detected virus may help unravel the mystery, Kummer said. Pesticides may play a role, and some European countries no longer use certain toxins, although existing data are inadequate. Commercial beekeepers work their bees hard, including long truck rides from farm to farm, adding stress to their colonies. Increased inbreeding because of habitat loss may play a role. Researchers have discounted cell phone disruption of bees’ natural rhythms.

Whatever the cause of the “alarming decline,” Kummer said, “we’ve got a problem.” To illustrate his concern, he related events in Sichuan Province, southwestern China, where the bees that pollinated the pear orchards mysteriously disappeared a few years ago. The orchards, a staple of the economy and food supply, are now laboriously pollinated by humans who dab the blossoms with pollen-laden feathers.

Kummer, whose bees have not been affected by the disorder, offered these suggestions for individuals while scientists continue their research:

• Reduce or eliminate pesticides in your yard.
• Leave dandelions in your yard. Their flowers are a welcome sight to bees in early spring.
• Plant an apple tree; bees love the blossoms.
• Buy locally produced honey and support local beekeepers.