Parasitoid flies killing honey bees by decapitation.

[Kai]

The best summary of this whole discovery.

After further observation, a few behavioural trials and some interesting molecular techniques, the research team found that not only were these scuttle flies parasitizing honey bees in the San Francisco Bay area, but also in migratory bee colonies housed in the Central California Valley and South Dakota, and also that infected honey bees would leave their colonies at night to fly away and die (often congregating at man-made lights and acting strangely); that all of the parasitized bees had been exposed to Nosema ceranae (a fungus which can lead to death from diarrhea and malnourishment) and/or Deformed Wing Virus (a disease that can cause malformation of a bee's thorax and wings during pupation); and that some of the flies had evidence of these bee pathogens in their systems.

The best freakout over this discovery.

Since I live in northern California, my question is what would prevent this fly from planting its eggs under the skin of hikers or campers at night within the infection zone? Would the parasite migrate and feed on human brain tissue? If it likes honeybee tissue it may consider human brain tissue a "delicacy."

And just what region surrounding the human skull would mature flies "bust out" of? I would imagine the answer is the sinus cavity (i.e. mature flies exiting the nose and mouth while the camper slept). Also, the type of psychosis that brain infection could trigger may pose a threat in the form of unpredictable, perhaps violent or risky behavior. For example, if the parasite can "bust out" of the head region of the honeybee's body, what would prevent it from "busting out" of any region of the body that furthers the parasite's goals of mass infection? What I'm getting at, to put it indelicately, is the possibility an human adapted species of this parasite could "bust out" of the human appendage during intercourse, or transfer from one mouth to another during kissing or other intimate contact.

Overall, there has been mixed coverage. There are the usual parties, who want to immediately make these flies out as the "cause of Colony Collapse Disorder", and then there has been some good reporting as well. And the crazy. Which makes the title of the Bio in Focus post ("The Good, the Bad, and the Zombees") an apt pun worthy of RWHN.

[Freeky]

That was an interesting article.  That comment, though, had me thinking of an insect-like Koolaid man bursting out of a bee's head, shrieking "OH YEAH!"

[PeregrineBF]

I know a guy who used to keep bees. Keeping africanized bees (killer bees) is illegal, but they produce more honey and many beekeepers feel the threat is overblown. So some beekepers started keeping africanized hybrids, and reporting the colonies as destroyed. Colony collapse disorder is at least partly just beekeepers lying.

[Kai]

I know a guy who used to keep bees. Keeping africanized bees (killer bees) is illegal, but they produce more honey and many beekeepers feel the threat is overblown. So some beekepers started keeping africanized hybrids, and reporting the colonies as destroyed. Colony collapse disorder is at least partly just beekeepers lying.

It may be partly that, but it's largely:

They have a virus.
They have parasites.
They have low genetic diversity.
And once a year they all get shipped to SouCal to pollinate almond orchards.

And now, maybe, they also have a parasitoid.

ETA: If it's not clear, I'm implying that false reporting of destroyed colonies is a completely inconsequential proportion of the problem.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I know a guy who used to keep bees. Keeping africanized bees (killer bees) is illegal, but they produce more honey and many beekeepers feel the threat is overblown. So some beekepers started keeping africanized hybrids, and reporting the colonies as destroyed. Colony collapse disorder is at least partly just beekeepers lying.

There are a whole bunch of things wrong with what you're saying, there. For one thing, based on something "a guy you know who used to keep bees" told you, you appear to be proposing that a significant proportion of beekeepers are deliberately keeping Africanized bees; enough so that it's impacting the reported number of collapsed colonies. Africanized bees cannot even survive the winters in most of the US, so that all by itself renders your statement ridiculous. But there are a lot of other elements that make it even more ridiculous.

Aside from the simple logistical issues with keeping Africanized bees, (difficult to obtain, poor overwintering, high tendency to abscond) what is this "reporting the colonies as destroyed"? Why? There is no beekeeping regulatory committee. That's like me calling the county and informing them that I don't have a pig. Reporting a collapsed colony to the Department of Agriculture is purely voluntary.

Colony collapse disorder is a real problem. I have firsthand experience with it; still anecdotal, but at least firsthand. B has lost two colonies in a row. Winter loss and swarming/absconding is relatively common, but colony collapse is different.

So regardless of what a guy you know who used to keep bees told you, I'm going to go with "the scientists are right" on this one.

[Triple Zero]

I report dead bees all the time. I found you don't actually need a regulatory committee, you can just approach random people at the bus stop.

[Triple Zero]

People keep telling me it's a "disorder" and that I got a real problem, but what do they know, right? I'm just reporting dead bees!

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I report dead bees all the time. I found you don't actually need a regulatory committee, you can just approach random people at the bus stop.

OFUK! 

[Triple Zero]

I report dead bees all the time. I found you don't actually need a regulatory committee, you can just approach random people at the bus stop.

OFUK! 

It's a lot less complicated than the whole business with bags and desks, too.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I report dead bees all the time. I found you don't actually need a regulatory committee, you can just approach random people at the bus stop.

OFUK! 

It's a lot less complicated than the whole business with bags and desks, too.

Heeeeeeeeee!!! 

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I know a guy who used to keep bees. Keeping africanized bees (killer bees) is illegal, but they produce more honey and many beekeepers feel the threat is overblown. So some beekepers started keeping africanized hybrids, and reporting the colonies as destroyed. Colony collapse disorder is at least partly just beekeepers lying.

It may be partly that, but it's largely:

They have a virus.
They have parasites.
They have low genetic diversity.
And once a year they all get shipped to SouCal to pollinate almond orchards.

And now, maybe, they also have a parasitoid.

ETA: If it's not clear, I'm implying that false reporting of destroyed colonies is a completely inconsequential proportion of the problem.

I read your ETA and just wanted to add that I feel that you and I were both most restrained and polite.