Declining honey bee populations threatening crops

[guohua]

BUMP, BUMP, Yes I Did!  

I have an update and it appears it's not Climate Change or Global Warming or even Pesticides.

It's called Deformed Wing Virus and they have found it's spread by the Varroa mite feeding on bee larvae and yes it still looks like Humans may be the cause.

I'll attach the article so you can read it yourself.

One question that has had scientists buzzing in recent years is, "What is killing the bees?" Many reports have documented the mysterious decline in honeybee populations around the world, with research focusing on possible causes including parasites, a type of pesticide called neonicotinoids, and other factors. Now, research out of the University of Exeter in the UK and the University of California, Berkeley, reveals another explanation: the spread of a viral disease, inadvertently helped along by humans.

The study, published in the journal Science, found that European honeybees are the main source of Deformed Wing Virus, which has spread through bee hives around the world. The researchers determined that the spread of this insect pandemic is largely fueled by human trade and transportation of bees.
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.

"If the spread was naturally occurring, we would expect to see transmission between countries that are close to each other, but we found that, for example, the New Zealand virus population originated in Europe. This significantly strengthens the theory that human transportation of bees is responsible for the spread of this devastating disease," she said in a press statement.

 


Yes there's more and you can finish the article here:Link