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).

Sterile Is A State Of Mind

WTOP News is reporting that around 100 Asian oysters (Crassostrea ariakensis) "escaped" from their cage in the Chesapeake Bay after being hit by a boat anchor. Of course, being oysters, they didn't just run off, but they are missing (more than 500 other oysters from the same cage were recovered). Part of an experiment to determine the feasibility of raising Asian oysters in the Bay, the test subjects were sterile, though there is a small risk that sterilized oysters can revert back to being sexually viable. Scientists say the chance of the escaped oysters having even survived the incident is small.

Tip of the virtual hat to the Smalltalk blog for posting about this story.

New And Notable

Recent arrivals in the US and beyond:

• The Suriname toad (Pipa pipa) was discovered in Puerto Rico.
• The Quagga mussel (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) continues to be sighted in Southern California. Also, a Dreissena sp. was discovered in Arizona - the first record for the genus in that state.
• The Oriental weatherfish (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) has been discovered in a small pond in New Jersey.
• India has a new species of fruit fly (Bactrocera invadens), the same one that has been spreading across Africa.
• Pink meadowsweet (Spiraea alba 'rosea') has naturalized in Belgium (via the ALIENS-L listserver)

Praying To The Porcelain Crab Gods

Georgia's got a crab problem...or at least they think they might...well actually, they're not quite sure. This report from newswise describes recent research on the impact of the introduced green porcelain crab (Petrolisthes armatus) on Georgia's oyster and mussel beds. While these tiny crabs are not oyster predators, they are filter feeders, so there is concern that they could be negatively impacting oysters and mussels by stealing away their food source. On the other hand, the crabs are providing a food source for larger crabs as well as fish, and this is altering the dynamics of the food web, possibly meaning less predation on oysters (but wait, won't that lead to more fish and predator crabs...and then???). The long-term impacts of the porcelain crab invasion have yet to be understood, but this three-year investigation has brought a lot of new information to light. To read more about it, check out the original research in the journal Biological Invasions...if you have a subscription. Or you can just download Amanda Hellebone's thesis (pdf) on the subject, no strings attached.

Thanks to budak for sending in a link to this story, and bonus points to newswise for keeping the scientific name of the crab in the article.

Minnesota Mozzies

Via the sky blue waters report comes this article from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune about the recent arrival of yet another non-native mosquito species in Minnesota. The Japanese rock pool mosquito (Aedes japonicus, also known as Ochlerotatus japonicus), which has been present in the US since the late 1990s, was discovered in Scott County in early August. Unfortunately, preliminary evidence suggests that this is one of several mosquito species that can carry West Nile virus, and there is concern that the mosquitoes may be able to transmit other viruses to humans as well.

Weekend Blog Blogging (Labor Day Edition)

The past week in invasive species blogging...from other people's blogs:

• Walking the Berkshires has an interesting post about the invasive status of horned poppy and rugosa rose in Massachusetts.
• The Natural Patriot notes the irony in the recent news that house sparrows and starlings are endangered in the UK.
• Roebrt Emanuel at H2ONCoast writes about the Japanese knotweed in bloom in Oregon.

Weekend Photoblogging (Labor Day Edition)

Introduced Pine Sawfly Larva
Originally uploaded by adamantine

Larva of the Introduced Pine Sawfly (Diprion similis), a European import that is a particular pest of pine plantations and ornamental pines.