Bees abandon hives in 27 states

[Mauser 98K]

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnew...030.xml&coll=2

i know this might be few days old but just something that i see important.



Alabama insects unaffected so far, but farmers worried Wednesday, April 04, 2007WILLIAM THORNTONNews staff writer
A mysterious disorder is wiping out commercial bee colonies in 27 states and worrying Alabama beekeepers, farmers and researchers.

Colony Collapse Disorder hasn't been reported in Alabama. But it has in Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Florida, where beekeepers usually keep stores of colonies for the winter, said Troy Fore, the executive director of the Georgia-based American Beekeeping Foundation.

The disorder causes worker bees to venture away from the hive without returning, which leaves juveniles and other developing bees to die, entomologists say. Some commercial beekeepers report losses of up to 90 percent of their hives.


Along with being producers of honey, commercial bee colonies are important to agriculture as pollinators. About one-fourth of Alabama's vegetable and fruit output relies on commercial pollenization, said Dennis Barclift, an apiarist with the Alabama Department of Agriculture.

He said no definitive cause has been found for the disorder, but a host of theories are out there - pesticides, viruses, imported bees, even stress.

"There's been no real pathogen out there to distinguish this," Barclift said. "It seems more of a multiple series of events."

Researchers first began noticing the problem when a beekeeper in Pennsylvania reported it. Investigators believe it might have begun appearing last spring. Though it is normal for bee colonies to sustain heavy seasonal losses, those occurring this year are much larger, more widespread and seem to be occurring simultaneously.

The state department of agriculture has been keeping track through contacts with beekeepers and investigating if someone reports a high percentage of bees disappearing.

Alabama prohibits migratory commercial beekeepers - those who truck their bees across the nation to assist with pollinating crops and honey production - from operating in the state. They are allowed to pass through to other destinations.

Beekeepers are also prohibited from bringing colonies into Alabama from out of state, to prevent the spread of disease. Alabama is among the nation's leaders in commercial queen and package bee production, according to the state agricultural department.

Alabama has about 2,500 beekeepers across the state, many of them hobbyists. Jimmy Carmack of Center Point has about 80 colonies of bees in Odenville, Huntsville, Clanton and other locations, averaging about 60,000 bees with each colony. He produces Alabama Pure Honey which is sold in stores statewide. He said he hasn't seen signs of the disorder but has kept an eye on developments nationwide.

Buddy Adamson with the Alabama Bee and Honey Producers, a division of the Alabama Farmers Federation, said he also is unaware of losses in the state. The national cases seem similar to another widespread colony loss about five years ago, he said.

The problem could have a disastrous impact on crops. Commercial pollenization accounted for about $15 billion in agricultural production nationwide in 2000.

Cucumbers, melons, blueberries, peaches and apples are all grown in Alabama in different regions and employ some kind of commercial bee use.

Fore said a group of federal and university researchers and others are working to identify the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder and provide preventive measures. Until then, Barclift said beekeepers should keep their hives strong with plenty of bees and a good new queen and treat hives for the varroa mite, a species of honeybee parasite.

"We're also telling them not to use too many pesticides," he said. "The problem is that until we know what causes it, there's not much we can do otherwise."


ok, thes little critters help to polonate the crops, and if they get to the point that they cant polinate the crops the crops wont produce and if crops dont produce it will cut the food production in the US by more than half if it doesnt kill it all together, and if tha happens we will have a food shortage and then the government will start to rationing things and there will be mass panic and riots and all kinds of other disorders.