Virus And Fungus Killing Off Honeybees

Newscast Media -- Researches claim that the mass deaths of honey-bee colonies in the U.S. may be caused by a lethal combination of fungi and viruses. University of Montana scientists have identified three viruses — Varroa destructor-1, Kakugo and an invertebrate iridescent virus — in dead honeybees felled by what is known as colony collapse disorder. They also found these bees were infected with two fungi — Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae.

However, any serious researcher shouldn't be quick to dismiss that perhaps the major cause of these deaths is likely to be triggered by the chemicals being sprayed in the atmosphere in form of herbicides, pesticides and chem trails that are sprayed using airplanes. These chemicals weaken the immune systems of the bees, causing them to succumb to viruses or fungi that they would normally have warded off had they not been exposed to atmospheric chemical toxins.

One also has to factor in the food industry that has no use for insect pollination since these food giants rely on GMO foods that are resistant to pesticides and herbicides, and can grow at incredibly fast rates with or without bees. It's not in the food industry's best interest to compete with bees that replenish plant species as nature intended, so companies like Monsanto advocate genetic engineering of crops and the use of toxic chemicals that are either sprayed in the air, or directly on the food supply.

Organic farmers have to worry more about the fall in cross-pollination as a result of the decline in number of pollinating agents. If these chemicals are toxic to bees, there is no doubt they are also toxic to butterflies, moths, grass hoppers and many other insects that carry out pollination.

Studies show that 125 agricultural plants in the United States are pollinated by bees, and the annual value of honey bee pollination to U.S. agriculture is estimated at over $9 billion. In addition, Bee pollination sustains native and introduces plants that control erosion and add beauty to human environments. Bees pollinate native plants that provide food for wildlife and have inherent value as members of local natural ecosystems.

In a study published in the Oct. 6 issue of the Scientific Journal Public Library of Science One, researches found that colony collapse disorder, which involves the sudden death of a large number of bees that leave the hive and disappear, reduced the colony to a handful of bees or no bees at all. The phenomenon has been occurring with increasing regularity since 2006, particularly in the U.S.

"In 2010, colony collapse disorder again devastated honey bee colonies in the U.S.A., indicating that the problem is neither diminishing nor has it been resolved," write the authors. Add Comments>>

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