Local beekeepers hope to solve mysterious problem
Colony collapse is likely the result of combination of factors, the experts say
By Jason Hardin
GREENSBORO NEWS & RECORD
Published: January 4, 2009
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/jan/04/local-beekeepers-hope-to-solve-mysterious-problem/Could the key to unlocking the mystery ailment that has wiped out countless bee colonies emerge from a suburban North Carolina backyard?
Many would think that scientific advances take place in gleaming white laboratories with researchers in lab coats running around.
But in the case of colony collapse disorder, the affliction that has devastated some bee colonies, the answers could be found in more casual settings.
Countless beekeepers are thinking about it, chewing on it over cups of coffee, making notes, tinkering around, crossbreeding. Bill Mullins, a longtime Greensboro beekeeper, said that plenty of ideas and theories are floating around.
"Virtually every master beekeeper is coming up with some kind of idea and trying it," he said. "I think we'll defeat it in time."
The bees play a role in pollinating crops.
(snip)
Isley said he is trying to get away from using chemicals such as miticides. If left alone, bees will develop protections, but that's not without pain.
"You're going to lose bees," he said. "The hobbyist beekeeper probably can't afford to lose that many bees."
Ultimately, solving the mystery is likely to involve plenty of false starts and dead ends.
What's becoming increasingly clear is that the disorder is not the result of any single factor, said David Tarpy, a bee specialist at N.C. State University.
"Unfortunately, we're still kind of stuck in a holding pattern, having gone through all the kind of possibilities, and not one of them being the smoking gun," he said.
That makes for a tricky problem.
"In the past, bees would die off, and we took a look. ‘Oh, it's this new mite,'" he said. "It's very difficult to come to a more definitive conclusion if it's more than one thing."
There is strong evidence that a virus is associated, but it's clear that it can't be the only thing either, Tarpy said. Another parasite might be involved -- maybe something nutritional or environmental, perhaps a pesticide.
(snip)
"It's a very democratic hobby," he said.
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Let us hope they find out what is doing it soon!
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