Possible Cure for Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder Discovered
By Vanessa Richins
The declining bee population has troubled scientists and gardeners.
A new study gives hope that one day soon, bees may flourish again.
Bees are a very beneficial insect in gardens, serving as one of the main pollinators for fruits, vegetables and flowers, as well as producing honey.
For the past few years, people began to notice that the bee population was declining. In fact, entire bee colonies were dying off in alarming quantities. The problem was dubbed “colony collapse disorder” and many theories were presented. However, it wasn’t until recently that scientists were able to identify a cause.
Scientists were able to identify a fungi called Nosema ceranae. Once the colonies were treated with an antibiotic, the colony recovered.
“In a study published in the new journal from the Society for Applied Microbiology: Environmental Microbiology Reports, scientists from Spain analysed two apiaries and found evidence of honey bee colony depopulation syndrome (also known as colony collapse disorder in the USA). They found no evidence of any other cause of the disease (such as the Varroa destructor, IAPV or pesticides), other than infection with Nosema ceranae. The researchers then treated the infected surviving under-populated colonies with the antibiotic drug, flumagillin and demonstrated complete recovery of all infected colonies.”
While this discovery does not completely solve the problem, it means that a big stride has been made towards strengthening the bee population. Once scientists have cured the colonies for Nosema ceranae, they may be able to isolate other potential bee pests and problems.
What else do you think could be causing the bee population to decline?
April 28th, 2009 at 5:20 am
Great article, as always. Let’s just hope we aren’t too late and that our tinkering with antibiotics doesn’t cause more harm than good. *sigh*
April 28th, 2009 at 5:38 am
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April 29th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Thank you for this great story. It is good news. If they did nothing then we would not have bees. They are very important to our own well being, for the food that they help pollinate and they honey they provide. Good things that they help with.
Love that honey.
Dan and Deanna “Marketing Unscrambled”
July 15th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
I recently heard that planting mint in your yard helps protect the bees from this disorder. Something in mint pollen/nectar gives them some immunity. So plant BEE BALM the number one favorite mint of bees!