Mass Honey Bee Deaths May Stem Partly From Virus

For months, the headlines have been increasingly worrisome: Honey bees around the United States are dying out in huge numbers, endangering agriculture, and perhaps portending larger environmental problems.

Now a group of genetic researchers say they may at last have at least part of the explanation for this so-called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

As published on Science's Web site yesterday, researchers say they've isolated a particular virus, called Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV), in a large sample of bees affected by CCD. The virus, which has appeared in Israel, as well as in samples taken from Australia, paralyzes bees, often outside their hives.

The collapse of honey bee populations has raised serious worries around the world, particularly in agricultural communities. The bees are responsible for pollinating more 130 fruit and vegetable crops in the
United States, with the value of those crops in the United States alone reaching more than $15 billion, according to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture.

Farmers were able to pollinate their crops this year, but next year and beyond could present serious problems if CCD continues to spread, the Department said in its press release.

Researchers who found the apparent connection to the virus say their work is far from done. The presence of the virus in their samples doesn't necessarily mean it's solely responsible for the widespread deaths, they said.

"This research gives us a very good lead to follow, but we do not believe IAPV is acting alone,” said coauthor Jeffery S. Pettis, research leader of the Bee Research Laboratory, United States
Department of Agriculture. “Other stressors to the colony are likely involved,” he said. Those stressors could be poor nutrition, pesticide exposure and parasitic mites."

Virus named as possible factor in honey bee disorder [American Association for the Advancement of Science]

(Photo Credit: ARS/USDA Scott Bauer)