In the past decade, the US honeybee population has been decreasing at an alarming and unprecedented rate. While this is obviously bad news for honeypots everywhere, bees also help feed us in a bigger way -- by pollinating our nation's crops. Emma Bryce investigates potential causes for this widespread colony collapse disorder.
How does it spread? The Varroa mite carries the disease, feeding on bee larvae, then the virus itself kills off the bees.
The study's lead author, Dr. Lena Wilfert, of the University of Exeter's Centre for Ecology and Conservation, said they found evidence that human involvement has played a key role in the epidemic.
Honey bee dancing, perhaps the most intriguing aspect of
their biology, is also one of the most fascinating behaviors
in animal life. Performed by a worker bee that has returned
to the honey comb with pollen or nectar, the dances, in
essence, constitute a language that "tells" other workers
where the food is. By signaling both distance and direction
with particular movements, the worker bee uses the dance
language to recruit and direct other workers in gathering
pollen and nectar.