By Keith Vass - Saanich News
By the time it started to make headlines three years ago, colony collapse disorder had already wiped out thousands of hives across North America and Europe.
Beekeepers and biologists were confounded as to a possible cause. Theories ranged from man-made disruptions, like cell phone radiation or pesticides, to natural causes such as solar flares, parasites or viruses.
“We’re slowly putting all the pieces together ... it has nothing to do with your cell phone,” said Mark Pitcher, president of Babe’s Honey and Saanich’s biggest beekeeper.
While the science isn’t completely settled, it’s increasingly pointing to a single-celled parasite, Nosema ceranae, as the prime cause, Pitcher explained. “What it basically does is it causes bees to get immune-deficiency disorder. So it’s actually causing the bees to almost get a version of HIV.”
Once the bees immune systems are compromised, they become susceptible to dying from a wide range of causes, Pitcher suggests, including chemicals once used to protect the bees from other parasites. …
Bees are back as scientists uncover cause of colony collapse disorder
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