The Mark Of The Bees

According to this report from ARS Newslink, scientists may finally have found out what is behind the massive honeybee kills in the US...or maybe they've just found another bee virus. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has been linked, mostly unsuccessfully, to everything from cell phone towers to pesticide. Now genetic testing has revealed a correlation between CCD and honeybees infected with Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV), which can be spread by yet another honeybee pathogen, the Varroa mite. BBC News is reporting that there is evidence that the virus entered the US via honeybees imported from Australia.

The authors of the study are quick and right to point out that this is just a correlation, and does not implicate IAPV as the cause of CCD - further testing is going to be necessary to solve this complex mystery. If you want to read the full article, "A Metagenomic Survey of Microbes in Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder," published in v. 317 of the journal Science...well...you're unfortunately going to need a subscription to the journal. For free, you can read this supplemental material (pdf).

Bee Leave It Or Not

With all the talk lately about honeybees and CCD (wha? honeybees are Catholic? who knew?) some of you might have missed the fact that Hawaiian beekeepers got some bad news of their own this week. The Star-Bulletin is reporting that Varroa mites (Varroa jacobsonii) have made their way to the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The mites have only been reported by one beekeeper so far (and he's suggesting that Hawaii bring in the National Guard to assist!), but at a few different locations around the island. As they work to determine a plan of action, officials at the state Department of Agriculture are asking anyone who thinks they might have infected bees to contact them ASAP.

Bees, Bees Everywhere!

Michael K. writes in with a pointer to this doc (.pdf) from the California Department of Food and Agriculture regarding the introduction of the bumblebee Bombus impatiens to California as a crop pollinator. The proposal is in response to a dearth of available honeybees (Apis mellifera) to do the job, due to problems with the Varroa mite (bumblebees are not susceptible to the Varroa mite, but do of course have their own parasites).

The study covers a wide variety of potential positives and negatives that could result from the bumblebee's introduction. A risk assessment done by a consulting firm is included in the appendix. Since the bees are being used for crop pollination, it would be impossible to guarantee that the introduced individuals won't escape into the wild. Instead, the suggestion is to minimize contact through placement only in "highly agricultural areas" and by limiting the duration of their time in the field, including "proper disposal of the colonies after their field use is terminated." Does that mean what I think it means? Sucks to be a bee.

While B. impatiens is native to the eastern USA, it is not considered native to California, which has 24 native Bombus species. This raises an interesting question: Is it better, from an ecological perspective, to have the European honeybee or Bombus terrestris? The bumblebee will be at risk to hybridize with native relatives, though the document claims that the chances of hybridization are minimal (see Appendix p. 17). Other issues to consider are competition for wild pollen and nectar sources, and potential associations between the bees and non-native plants. The risk assessment says "The risk of competition is deemed to be less than significant," in part because the time that the non-native bumblebees would be allowed to forage is limited, and also because of the intention to keep the bumblebees restricted to cropland (see Appendix p. 15).

Public comments on this topic are being accepted through January 19th, 2007. Interested readers can learn more about non-native bumblebees in previous ISW posts.

BumbleUpon

Back in April of this year, the ISW posted about efforts in Australia to legalize importation of the European bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) for use as greenhouse pollinators. Now The Independent is reporting that a recent similar study in Britain concluded that commercially introduced European bumblebees could indeed survive on their own if they escape into the British wilds. The authors of the study note that the commercial bumblebees (subspecies of B. terrestris, which is one of 25 species of bumblebees considered native to Britain) tended to be better at finding nectar than native bees, and even more alarming, were better at establishing new colonies. There is also concern that the commercial bumblebees will hybridize with native British species.

An abstract to the upcoming research article by Ings et al. can be found here.

Bumbling Around

The Australian Hydroponics & Greenhouse Association has taken the next step in their plan to import European bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) into Australia by putting out a 100+ page report on the pros and cons. Well, mainly the pros, actually. If the report's executive summary is any indication, the AHGA is bitter about the whole thing, angry at concerned conservationists and thinks that none of the countries that "enjoy" European bumblebees have had any problems with the insects (Japan, anyone?). The report does raise several valid points about the economic benefits of using bumblebees as pollinators (more and cheaper tomatoes) and the risk of establishment if they are confined to greenhouses. Unfortunately any decent research contained in the report is overshadowed by the disrespectful, unprofessional way in which the evidence is presented.

If you have something to say about this issue, a public comment period is open until June 16th. Interested readers will also want to check out this article from the magazine Practical Hydroponics & Greenhouses.

Thanks to Sandy L. for posting about this story to the ALIENS-L listserver.

Bee Line

According to this report from the Naples Daily News, it's time for Florida to face facts: The Africanized honeybee (Apis mellifera scutellata) is there to stay. Though also known as the "Killer Bee," it has not lived up to the initial hysteria that led to that name - after more than a decade in Florida, the insect still has not caused much trouble. However, experts are warning Floridians to be cautious around all bees, since the Africanized bees are aggressive, and the only reliable way to tell the difference between those and the calmer European honeybees (Apis mellifera) is by DNA testing. The article provides many details about the origin of the bees and their history, and even provides a bulleted list of things to if attacked. Interesting stuff.

Tip of the virtual hat to Taming of the Band-Aid for inspiring the very first ISW post about Africanized honeybees.