shocking 2-year study links colony collapse disorder with pesticide

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Shocking, I tell you!

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2012-releases/colony-collapse-disorder-pesticide.html

Lu and his co-authors hypothesized that the uptick in CCD resulted from the presence of imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid introduced in the early 1990s. Bees can be exposed in two ways: through nectar from plants or through high-fructose corn syrup beekeepers use to feed their bees. (Since most U.S.-grown corn has been treated with imidacloprid since 2005, it's also found in corn syrup.)

In the summer of 2010, the researchers conducted an in situ study in Worcester County, Mass. aimed at replicating how imidacloprid may have caused the CCD outbreak. Over a 23-week period, they monitored bees in four different bee yards; each yard had four hives treated with different levels of imidacloprid and one control hive. After 12 weeks of imidacloprid dosing, all the bees were alive. But after 23 weeks, 15 out of 16 of the imidacloprid-treated hives—94%—had died. Those exposed to the highest levels of the pesticide died first.

The characteristics of the dead hives were consistent with CCD, said Lu; the hives were empty except for food stores, some pollen, and young bees, with few dead bees nearby. When other conditions cause hive collapse—such as disease or pests—many dead bees are typically found inside and outside the affected hives.

Strikingly, said Lu, it took only low levels of imidacloprid to cause hive collapse—less than what is typically used in crops or in areas where bees forage.

[Doktor Howl]

Wasn't someone saying (here) that it was pesticide?  You?  Can't remember.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Wasn't someone saying (here) that it was pesticide?  You?  Can't remember.

Me and Kai both, I believe. The hypothesis has been floated around for years, but this is the first time anyone's come up with anything really concrete.

Pesticides make a hell of a lot more sense than cell phone towers, that's for sure. They're kind of an obvious culprit, which makes me wonder why it took this long for someone to do a study of this type, especially when something as critical as bees are on the line.

I mean, "designed to kill insects" combined with "persistent" and "susceptible to drift". Derp!

[Cain]

Because, apart from scientists, the people most liable to notice bees are missing are, well, Alex Jones.

And so their natural technophobia rises to the surface.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Because, apart from scientists, the people most liable to notice bees are missing are, well, Alex Jones.

And so their natural technophobia rises to the surface.

[Kai]

Pesticides seems to have support as one factor of many. Bug Girl has a good summary.

As I said before, there are multiple factors for honey bee decline. I mean, think of all the issues every other domesticated animal has, and honey bees have an equivalent.

They have viral and bacteria caused diseases (e.g. foulbrood, APV, CPV, etc).
They have parasites (e.g. varoa mite).
They have pests (e.g. small hive beetle).
They have issues with genetic diversity (due to inbreeding queens).
They have mortality from transport stress (i.e. to and from almond plantations in California).
And now we know they are being poisoned by certain pesticides.

The difference between honey bees and other domesticated animals is that, due to similar size and physiology, we understand vertebrate domestics much better. Despite all the research done since Carl von Frisch's seminal work on the honey bee dance language in the early 20th century, we still understand honey bees quite poorly. What we are seeing is, honey bees have become essential to industrial agriculture of pretty much all flowering plant crops (aside from wind pollinated grasses), and our understanding has not caught up. So we are suddenly beset from all sides with these wide scale problems, the equivalents of problems livestock herders have been addressing for centuries.

As soon as people start thinking of honey bees as domesticated livestock (albeit with a social temperment strange to usE), as more like cows, or pigs, or chickens, these problems don't seem so bizarre and mysterious. Everyone knows that cattle get sick and start acting weird. When that happens, we don't throw up our hands and blame cell phones. It's the same thing.

tl;dr: Ranting about honey bee misconceptions not aimed at anyone here. They're little six legged social chickens.

[Forsooth]

slightly related:

i'm doing a mock research proposal for my "how to write research proposals as an undergrad" class (which is required for graduate), with inquiry as to how bees are affected by long-term exposure to overlapping microwave-band radiation (wireless internet and cell phones)

not actually doing research, but it's still interesting

[Nephew Twiddleton]

With stingers and wings. Thats still cheating.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Pesticides seems to have support as one factor of many. Bug Girl has a good summary.

As I said before, there are multiple factors for honey bee decline. I mean, think of all the issues every other domesticated animal has, and honey bees have an equivalent.

They have viral and bacteria caused diseases (e.g. foulbrood, APV, CPV, etc).
They have parasites (e.g. varoa mite).
They have pests (e.g. small hive beetle).
They have issues with genetic diversity (due to inbreeding queens).
They have mortality from transport stress (i.e. to and from almond plantations in California).
And now we know they are being poisoned by certain pesticides.

The difference between honey bees and other domesticated animals is that, due to similar size and physiology, we understand vertebrate domestics much better. Despite all the research done since Carl von Frisch's seminal work on the honey bee dance language in the early 20th century, we still understand honey bees quite poorly. What we are seeing is, honey bees have become essential to industrial agriculture of pretty much all flowering plant crops (aside from wind pollinated grasses), and our understanding has not caught up. So we are suddenly beset from all sides with these wide scale problems, the equivalents of problems livestock herders have been addressing for centuries.

As soon as people start thinking of honey bees as domesticated livestock (albeit with a social temperment strange to usE), as more like cows, or pigs, or chickens, these problems don't seem so bizarre and mysterious. Everyone knows that cattle get sick and start acting weird. When that happens, we don't throw up our hands and blame cell phones. It's the same thing.

tl;dr: Ranting about honey bee misconceptions not aimed at anyone here. They're little six legged social chickens.

Right, but this particular study was aimed at answering the question of why there has been an uptick of colony collapse disorder, which has been much more poorly understood than simply the decline in honeybees. Feral honeybees in Oregon have declined since the 1980's due to disease, but that's different.

[Triple Zero]

So Charles Wick smashed all those bees for nothing?!!

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

So Charles Wick smashed all those bees for nothing?!!

Not totally in vain; the Wick brothers' research also provided valuable information about the causes behind the usual annual rate of CCD, while this new research is oriented toward solving the reasons behind the recent spike.

[Kai]

Pesticides seems to have support as one factor of many. Bug Girl has a good summary.

As I said before, there are multiple factors for honey bee decline. I mean, think of all the issues every other domesticated animal has, and honey bees have an equivalent.

They have viral and bacteria caused diseases (e.g. foulbrood, APV, CPV, etc).
They have parasites (e.g. varoa mite).
They have pests (e.g. small hive beetle).
They have issues with genetic diversity (due to inbreeding queens).
They have mortality from transport stress (i.e. to and from almond plantations in California).
And now we know they are being poisoned by certain pesticides.

The difference between honey bees and other domesticated animals is that, due to similar size and physiology, we understand vertebrate domestics much better. Despite all the research done since Carl von Frisch's seminal work on the honey bee dance language in the early 20th century, we still understand honey bees quite poorly. What we are seeing is, honey bees have become essential to industrial agriculture of pretty much all flowering plant crops (aside from wind pollinated grasses), and our understanding has not caught up. So we are suddenly beset from all sides with these wide scale problems, the equivalents of problems livestock herders have been addressing for centuries.

As soon as people start thinking of honey bees as domesticated livestock (albeit with a social temperment strange to usE), as more like cows, or pigs, or chickens, these problems don't seem so bizarre and mysterious. Everyone knows that cattle get sick and start acting weird. When that happens, we don't throw up our hands and blame cell phones. It's the same thing.

tl;dr: Ranting about honey bee misconceptions not aimed at anyone here. They're little six legged social chickens.

Right, but this particular study was aimed at answering the question of why there has been an uptick of colony collapse disorder, which has been much more poorly understood than simply the decline in honeybees. Feral honeybees in Oregon have declined since the 1980's due to disease, but that's different.

To speak with the experts, honey bees have been having these decline problems since at least the 1960s. In terms of the disorder, several viruses were linked to collapsing colonies in a PLoS study two years ago. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2950847). Not to mention that the disorder itself is poorly characterized, if it is indeed a single-cause linked disorder and not the combination of many factors leading to bees being unable to find their way home (some hives suffering more than others).

Edit: it would be cool if it /was/ just neonicotinoids, because that's the sort of issue which is more easily fixed.

[ñͤͣ̄ͦ̌̑͗͊͛͂͗ ̸̨̨̣̺̼̣̜͙͈͕̮̊̈́̈͂͛̽͊ͭ̓͆ͅé ̰̓̓́ͯ́́͞]

Relax guys.

Last September Monsanto bought Beelogics. Beelogics' primary goal is, "to control the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) infection crises," so I'm sure everything is going to be okay.

[Doktor Howl]

Relax guys.

Last September Monsanto bought Beelogics. Beelogics' primary goal is, "to control the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) infection crises," so I'm sure everything is going to be okay.

Yes, because Monsanto would never consider doing anything like ensuring that their products are needed to pollenize plants after all the bees die or anything.

[ñͤͣ̄ͦ̌̑͗͊͛͂͗ ̸̨̨̣̺̼̣̜͙͈͕̮̊̈́̈͂͛̽͊ͭ̓͆ͅé ̰̓̓́ͯ́́͞]

Relax guys.

Last September Monsanto bought Beelogics. Beelogics' primary goal is, "to control the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) infection crises," so I'm sure everything is going to be okay.

Yes, because Monsanto would never consider doing anything like ensuring that their products are needed to pollenize plants after all the bees die or anything.

THAT'S SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE. AND THAT'S WHAT MONSANTO IS ALL ABOUT.