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closeHoney Bee Colony Decline
Posted by Bunuweld on 07 Oct 2010 at 22:42 GMT
The data in the study are very impressive. In addition to the IIV and Nosema link, could this be superimposed on a stress factor affecting the bees immune system?. One factor that comes to mind is the current commercial practices of colony seasonal migration. This might be an additional explanation for the the authors' finding of Montana's non-migratory colonies being less affected.
RE: Honey Bee Colony Decline
UMinventor replied to Bunuweld on 08 Oct 2010 at 14:08 GMT
Great question! Could the immune system be declining because the queen is no longer allowed to mate with the strongest drone who can fly to her heights for mating? Might the rectangular beehive, convenient for bee keepers, be an issue? Maybe Round-up and other pesticides weaken?
RE: RE: Honey Bee Colony Decline
GE_Seed_999 replied to UMinventor on 17 Oct 2010 at 01:43 GMT
Please consider my posting as I am totally ignorant of "Bee" science:Any Correlation to Genetic Mod Seed Virial RNAIntro Techniques?
RE: Honey Bee Colony Decline
peterloringborst replied to Bunuweld on 10 Oct 2010 at 23:38 GMT
The primary motivation for moving colonies is to get them to better pasture. For example, in Upstate NY, conditions are hostile to bees for six months out of the year. By the time spring arrives, up to half the hives may be dead and many severely weakened. This is nothing new, the bee literature of 100 years ago is filled with sad stories and advice on over-wintering.
The solution, which was begun in earnest decades ago, is to haul the bees south to better conditions. Trucking bees per se is not harmful. The mixing of colonies from all over the US and elsewhere, however, is a recipe for rapid distribution of any sort of contagious elements, and also, the recombination of various strains of these pathogens.
Viewed from the outside, the spectacle of trucking up to a million bee hives around the USA, making multiple moves, etc. seems perilous, but actually the trips are made quickly and the benefits of better weather, fresh nectar and pollen, etc. usually outweigh the damage done by the interstate hauling.
Peter Loring Borst
Ithaca, NY