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WHERE'S THE BUZZ?
Thursday, April 1st, 2010 -- 11:38 am
Posted by Riley Hebert-News Director
 The mysterious disappearance of honeybees around the world has experts perplexed, and a bit worried.
It’s easy to take the little guys for granted, but it’s estimated one-third of the food we eat is pollinated by honeybees.
In 2006, beekeepers began noticing higher-than normal losses—between 30%-90%—in their hives. Far from getting better, there is some data suggesting the problem is getting worse.
Researches have some suspicions, but are by-and-large baffled by the mystery they’ve labeled "Colony Collapse Disorder".
"Scientists don't know what causes it," explains Elizabeth Meils, state apiarist with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. "They're looking at possible fungal, bacterial and viral causes."
Other culprits could be pesticides, stress levels, corn syrups and mites, she says.
DATCP is preparing to conduct their annual spring survey of beekeepers, and are curious to see how Wisconsin’s bee’s handled the winter.
"Wisconsin has been surveying for Colony Collapse Disorder for the past two years, but because there is no definitive cause of CCD, we can't say for sure if a hive died from CCD or, possibly, another pest or disease, or a long, cold winter," Meils notes.
Wisconsin hives did exhibit signs of CCD in 2008, and winter mortality rates were extremely high in 2006, but 2009 year was pretty normal.
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