From The Times
February 19, 2007
Mystery plague that kills bees
could cost US $8bn in lost crops
Jacqui Goddard in Miami
Hundreds of millions of honeybees have vanished in 22 US states, leaving keepers financially crippled and jeopardising £8 billion of crops that need the insects for pollination.
Beekeepers report their hives emptying within days because of an unexplained phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder (CCD), which drives swarms spontaneously to abandon their homes and disappear to die.
A task force involving the US Department of Agriculture and some of the country’s top insect specialists has been set up to investigate the causes. But while fungus, mites and pesticides have caused die-offs in the past, scientists admit that this time they are struggling to solve the mystery.
“There’s no simple answer, no smoking gun,” said Jerry Bromenshank, an entomologist at the University of Montana who is involved in the study.
