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Scientists Isolate and Treat Parasite Causing Decline in Honey Bee Population

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the buzzing-with-excitement dept.

In a recent report, a team of scientists from Spain claims to have isolated and treated the parasite causing honey bee depopulation syndrome. Their hope is to prevent the continued decline of honey bee populations in Europe and the US. "The loss of honey bees could have an enormous horticultural and economic impact worldwide. Honeybees are important pollinators of crops, fruit and wild flowers and are indispensable for a sustainable and profitable agriculture as well as for the maintenance of the non-agricultural ecosystem. Honeybees are attacked by numerous pathogens including viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites."

4 of 182 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Hope by tarpitcod · · Score: 5, Informative

    You know bees are useful for fertilizing plants and not just the sticky yellow stuff right?

  2. Nosema is a fungus... by denzacar · · Score: 5, Informative

    A parasite. Not virus or bacteria.
    Breeding resistant bees is kinda like breeding humans that are resistant to tapeworm.

    You kill or surgically remove parasites - you don't develop antibodies to fight them.

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
  3. Opposing study by DinDaddy · · Score: 5, Informative

    This story is in direct disagreement with a recent article in SciAm, where they find colony collapse is MORE like caused by IAPV, and NOT the nosema parasite.

    http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=saving-the-honeybee

    And since the scientists in the SciAm article looked at a lot more than two apiaries, I am gonna have to give them a lot more credence.

    1. Re:Opposing study by alanrw · · Score: 5, Informative

      For anyone interested in CCD, I strongly recommend the book "Fruitless Fall" by Rowan Jacobsen. In it, he suggests, just like the SciAm article does, that CCD is likely a combination of multiple factors, including IAPV, nosema, pesticides, industrial farming, and other contributors. While this study is a good start, I won't hold my breath that CCD is over until we have much more evidence.