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Grades 4-6

Bad News For Bees

Andrea Delbanco

Beekeepers, Researchers and farmers are all abuzz about a mysterious wave of disappearances. Millions of honeybees are vanishing, leaving no clues and no dead bodies behind. The bees fly away from their colonies in search of pollen and nectar and never return.

"The bees have just vanished," says Jerry Bromenshenk, a bee researcher and the president of Bee Alert Technology Inc., a company that tracks bees. "This wouldn't be so surprising if you saw it in one place," he told TFK. "But millions of bees are disappearing across the nation."

Experts have a name for the honeybees' disappearing act: colony collapse disorder (CCD). Two dozen states have reported CCD (see "Where Bees Have Gone Missing"). But because not all states have the resources to conduct a count, some states suffering from CCD may not yet be aware of it. Other states may not have reported it. Some beekeepers report colony deaths of up to half of their hives.

In North Dakota and California, the nation's top honey-producing states, honey production is way down. North Dakota's output dropped 23% from last year, and California's plummeted by 34%.

Busy, Busy Bees

Honeybees are hardworking insects. Of course, they produce honey (see "How Bees Make Honey"). Along with birds, bats and other insects, honeybees are also among nature's most important pollinators. Bees pollinate flowering plants by moving tiny grains of pollen from one part of a flower to another so that a plant can grow seeds and fruit.

Bee pollination is crucial for crops like apples, almonds, cucumbers and cranberries. "At least a third of what we eat is pollinated by insects, primarily honeybees," says Bromenshenk. Technology cannot duplicate this delicate work. It must be done by the bees themselves.

At about this time each year, beekeepers transport billions of honeybees around the country to sell their pollination services to farmers. This year's crops could suffer if there aren't enough bees to do the job. "There are fewer bees to pollinate the crops that you eat every day," says Bromenshenk. "People are worried."

What's to Blame?

CCD was first reported in November, but experts believe the problem could have begun a few years ago. "CCD might be something new, or it might have been here for many years but we haven't had the tools to identify it," says Bromenshenk.

Researchers are desperately seeking an explanation. Experts met in Florida in February to talk about possible causes of CCD, and to brainstorm ways to stop its spread. "Preliminary work has identified several likely factors that could be causing or contributing to CCD," says Dennis vanEngelsdorp of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

CCD could be a result of a widespread disease similar to a bug called the varroa mite, which devastated the country's bee population several years ago. The bug destroyed beekeepers' hives and also wild populations of honeybees. Experts believe overworked bees might be more vulnerable to mites and other illnesses.

Another possibility is that honeybees are reacting to a harmful pesticide that confuses them. If bees are unable to find their hives, they could starve to death or freeze in the field. Yet another theory suggests that last summer's dry, hot weather led honeybees to stop working or to become ill.

Researchers are checking out more theories. The National Honey Board and other groups connected to the bee biz are giving emergency funds to support the research and try to stop the crisis. If the cause of CCD is identified soon, beekeepers may be able to protect their hives. Then everyone will see if the bees can bounce back.

Next: The Verdict: Guilty