Culprits identified in worldwide honeybee die-off

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Culprits identified in worldwide honeybee die-off

Postby NZcaver » Oct 7, 2010 2:00 pm

This is sounding like another problem we are very familiar with...

Culprits identified in worldwide honeybee die-off
By Brett Michael Dykes

Over the past few years, there's been some panic over a dramatic decrease in the world's honeybee population, an occurrence that has left many experts scratching their heads. Now it appears as though part of the bee die-off mystery has been solved.

As reported by Kirk Johnson of the New York Times, a somewhat odd pairing of entomologists and military scientists has pinpointed likely culprits: a fungus and a virus, both of which flourish in cool, wet environments. While scientists aren't certain, they believe the fungus and virus work together to hamper the insect's digestive system. Each is relatively harmless on its own, Johnson says, but their combination is deadly.


Full story here
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Re: Culprits identified in worldwide honeybee die-off

Postby BrianC » Oct 7, 2010 2:25 pm

NZcaver wrote:This is sounding like another problem we are very familiar with...

Culprits identified in worldwide honeybee die-off
By Brett Michael Dykes

Over the past few years, there's been some panic over a dramatic decrease in the world's honeybee population, an occurrence that has left many experts scratching their heads. Now it appears as though part of the bee die-off mystery has been solved.

As reported by Kirk Johnson of the New York Times, a somewhat odd pairing of entomologists and military scientists has pinpointed likely culprits: a fungus and a virus, both of which flourish in cool, wet environments. While scientists aren't certain, they believe the fungus and virus work together to hamper the insect's digestive system. Each is relatively harmless on its own, Johnson says, but their combination is deadly.


Full story here


Wow, make that virus an invasive species before its to late.
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Virus, fungus new suspects in bee disease

Postby cavergirl » Oct 10, 2010 7:58 pm

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101006/ap_ ... ee_disease

I've wondered for a while if a virus could be infecting the bats with WNS making them more susceptible to the G.d. fungus. Yes I know that researchers haven't found any virus co-infecting the WNS bats, but if you read those reports carefully they say the researchers looked for known viruses and didn't find any. unknown viruses are hard to find. you need the right probe.

this new virus in the bees is related to one that affects moths.

The new study said the suspect virus is insect iridescent virus, which is similar to a virus first reported in India 20 years ago, as well as a virus found in moths


Bats eat moths. just wondering...
Last edited by NZcaver on Oct 10, 2010 9:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Information already posted. Merged post with existing topic.
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Re: Culprits identified in worldwide honeybee die-off

Postby ArCaver » Oct 11, 2010 5:29 am

Although the researchers have not found any virus or bacteria infecting WNS bats there still could be virus and bacteria involved. Look how long it has taken for the researchers to find a possible virus connection in colony collapse disorder. I would venture a guess that many more labs with much better funding have been working on the honey bee problem but we've all been lead to believe WNS researchers got it right with the first guess. There must be a reason many of the bats dying have no sign of g.destructans. while the European bats with g.destructans show no ill effects.
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Re: Culprits identified in worldwide honeybee die-off

Postby Evan G » Oct 11, 2010 6:10 am

Unfortunately there is a possible other side to this story:

What a scientist didn't tell the New York Times about his study on bee deaths Via CNN Money

By Katherine Eban, contributor October 8, 2010: 1:42 PM ET

FORTUNE -- Few ecological disasters have been as confounding as the massive and devastating die-off of the world's honeybees. The phenomenon of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) -- in which disoriented honeybees die far from their hives -- has kept scientists, beekeepers, and regulators desperately seeking the cause. After all, the honeybee, nature's ultimate utility player, pollinates a third of all the food we eat and contributes an estimated $15 billion in annual agriculture revenue to the U.S. economy.

The long list of possible suspects has included pests, viruses, fungi, and also pesticides, particularly so-called neonicotinoids, a class of neurotoxins that kills insects by attacking their nervous systems. For years, their leading manufacturer, Bayer Crop Science, a subsidiary of the German pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG (BAYRY), has tangled with regulators and fended off lawsuits from angry beekeepers who allege that the pesticides have disoriented and ultimately killed their bees. The company has countered that, when used correctly, the pesticides pose little risk.


Cont. - CNN Money
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Re: Culprits identified in worldwide honeybee die-off

Postby wyandottecaver » Oct 11, 2010 11:38 am

as they say... follow the money. Never believe ANY scientific study till you know who funded it....and who published(edited) it. The fact that US government scientists in many cases must have their manuscripts edited and approved by political appointees is no secret...at least to scientists. Iran just shoots their dissidents, but they aren't the only country in the "spin" game. US military and department of AG scientists and they publish a major breakthrough on a major case in a obscure journal?

bayer makes a sizeable political contribution or a grant to a research university to "study" the disorder and lo and behold turns out its not their fault after all. Not saying that is the case, but enough similiar things have occured that its plausible
I'm not scared of the dark, it's the things IN the dark that make me nervous. :)
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