Disappearing Bees

Disappearing Bees

Honey bees worldwide began to experience mass hive disappearances that were first reported by beekeepers in the United States in 2006. While performing their day-to-day tasks, the bees would simply disappear and fail to return to the hive. Scientists have yet to discover the cause for the bees' disappearance, now known as the Colony Collapse Disorder.

Fast Facts

Unexplained and dramatic reduction in bees first reported in 2006¹
100 major agricultural crops in the U.S. depend on bees for pollination²
Pollination in the U.S. estimated at $15 billion in crop values¹
Colony Collapse Disorder appears to be affecting other pollinators as well²
Rental fees can go up to $200 per colony²
The House Appropriations Committee has allotted $10 million to study the cause¹
Declining populations and availability of rental hives has driven up food prices¹

Funding the Studies

The USDA approved $4.1 million to help scientists find the cause of the Colony Collapse Disorder among the bees.³ In addition, the U.S. Congress has approved $10 million to go toward the problem after hearing from scientists as well as food manufacturers like Haagen-Dazs. Over 40 percent of Haagen-Dazs' flavor line-up has been affected by fruit prices because of the disappearing bees.¹

Categories

News | Science and Technology News | Science

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The Mahalo Top 7

Wikipedia: Colony Collapse Disorder
Globe and Mail: The buzz over disappearing bees (July 21, 2008)
Telegraph: Food prices threatened by silence of the bees (June 27, 2008)
Slate Magazine: How much does it cost to borrow a colony of honeybees? (June 27, 2008)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Deaths in honeybee colonies still puzzling... (June 26, 2008)
USDA: USDA Awards $4.1 Million to Study Colony Collapse Disorder (July 17, 2008)
YouTube Video: Haagen-Dazs ask Congress for Millions ... (Time: 1:03)

Disappearing Bees Recent News Stories

Daily Mail: Apples and pears at risk due to dramatic decline in the honeybee (September 5, 2008)
Seattle Times: Bee decline could raise food costs more, panel told (June 27, 2008)
Celsias: Häagen-Daz’s Commitment to Honeybees (May 17, 2008)
New York Times: "Virus Is Seen as Suspect in Death of Honeybees" (September 7, 2007)
The New Yorker: "Where have all the bees gone?" (August 6, 2007)
Reuters.com: Vanishing honeybees mystify scientists (April 22, 2007)
Scotsman.com: Hives left 'like Mary Celeste' as bees vanish (April 14, 2007)
The Christian Science Monitor: "What's happening to the bees?" (April 4, 2007)
Telegraph: Honey bees in US facing extinction (March 14, 2007)
BBC News: Vanishing bees threaten US crops (March 11, 2007)
International Herald Tribune: "Mystery of the vanishing bees" (February 27, 2007)
National Geographic: Mystery Bee Disappearances Sweeping U.S. (February 23, 2007)
Google News: Vanishing bees | Disappearing bees | Colony collapse disorder

Disappearing Bees Background Information and Articles

American Beekeeping Federation
Bee Alert Technology Inc.: National Bee Loss Survey
USNews.com: "Bee Crisis May Drive Up Food Costs" (April 13, 2007)
NRDC: OnEarth Magazine: The Vanishing (2006)
Pollen Nation: Film about disappearing bees and their impact

Disappearing Bees Theories and Commentary

Spiegel Online: Are Genetically Modified Crops Killing Bees? (March 22, 2007)
International Herald Tribune: "Case of the disappearing bees..." (April 22, 2007)
ABC News: Latest Theory on Disappearing Bees: Cell Phones? (April 16, 2007)
Farmnews, New Zealand: Bee killer might not be new (April 21, 2007)

Disappearing Bees Message Boards, Blogs, and Commentary

80beats (Discover Magazine): Honeybee Killer Still at Large (June 30, 2008)
The Daily Green: ... Beekeepers Lost 35 % of Bees This Winter (April 14, 2008)
Celsias: Colony Collapse Disorder... (April 13, 2007)
Backyardhive.com: Wake Up Call, Colony Collapse Disorder
GardenWeb: Colony Collapse Disorder
Ars Technica: Forum: On Disappearing Bees and the Fall of Mankind
Technorati: Colony collapse disorder
The Register-Guard: "Buzz on bees: not so bad" (April 11, 2007)
Daily Kos: Colony Collapse Disorder posts

Disappearing Bees Videos

YouTube: Vanishing Bees - Voice of America
YouTube: Bill Maher and Dr. Sanjay Gupta discuss bees
YouTube & Google Video: Colony collapse disorder and Disappearing bees
Trailer for Pollen Nation

Related Pages on Mahalo

Climate Change | Honey | Bees | Beekeeping | Haagen-Dazs