A friend of mine who lives in CT sent me this in an email. I don't have a link (sorry). But there are some very interesting details in this article - and very scary when Colony Collapse Disorder is taken into account in addition to this. SS Nearly half of state's beehives have dangerous infection By John Burgeson STAFF WRITER Updated: 08/06/2009
HAMDEN -- The bacterium that causes American foulbrood, a disease that kills honeybee larva, has been found in nearly half of all registered beehives in Connecticut. Entomologists and microbiologists at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station say that the finding is troubling because the disease can cause an entire bee colony to die off in a matter of weeks.
Douglas W. Dingman, an experiment station microbiologist, said that about one-third of the human diet relies on bees, either directly or indirectly, for pollination of crops by bees, and that foulbrood, if left unchecked, could leave major segments of the nation's food supply in tatters.
Dingman said that American foulbrood can't be blamed for what's become known as colony collapse disorder, or CCD, a still-mysterious, worldwide phenomenon in which a hive's worker bees fly off, never to be seen again. But he said that the foulbrood bacterium might be a piece of the puzzle.
Many biologists, he said, suspect that CCD is caused by several factors working together, including insecticides, climate change, viral and bacterial diseases, malnutrition and mites.
American foulbrood, which occurs worldwide, is so named because the hive's brood chambers, where the eggs develop into adults, become foul-smelling when the infected larva turn into a gooey mass. Dingman said that about 10 percent of the registered hives in the state have this level of foulbrood infestation. But another 40 percent, he said, have low levels of bacteria present. These hives with low levels of infection, he said, still suffer "suppressed" health.
These low-level infestation can only be confirmed through microscopic examination.
Worker bees have a lifespan of about four to six weeks, which is why the queen bee is almost constantly laying eggs, about 1,500 daily. Queens live about five years, although the first three are her best egg-laying years. A healthy hive has a population of about 40,000 to 60,000 bees. It takes 21 days for the egg to emerge as an adult.
There are 295 registered beekeepers in the state, who manage 2,587 hives, according to the state Department of Agriculture.
"Foulbrood is the worst bacterial disease that we have," said Ira Kettle, the state's apiary inspector.
When outward signs of foulbrood are found, the hive has to be burned to keep bacteria from spreading. But instances of low-level infection usually persist undetected, and often result in the infection getting transmitted to other hives, owing to the occasional intermingling of bee populations and the bacteria unwittingly being spread by beekeepers.
To maker matters worse, the antibiotic Terramycin ---- the only USDA-approved treatment ---- shows signs of becoming less effective over time, as the bacterium,
Paenibacillus larvae, is gradually evolving greater resistance to the agent, Dingman said.
But he said that one treatment that shows promise is a preparation containing hydrogen peroxide, which kills the bacterium's tough endospore, a nearly indestructible dormant form of the organism that can survive for years until favorable conditions allow it to develop into its usual state. This preparation can be used to wash down tools, empty hives, gloves and the like.
"The results look to be promising, but we have a lot more work to do," he said.
One interesting development that has come out of the well-publicized bee troubles is a greater appreciation for the hard-working insects, even to the point of viewing them as "pets."
"Now, when I pull out and put back a beehive frame, the beekeepers tell me, 'No, don't squish my bees,' " Dingman said. "I never used to get that before."
"People today realize the importance that bees have in our society," Kettle said. "Blueberries in Maine. Almonds in California. Even alfalfa for cattle. They all rely on bees."
American foulbrood disease What: American foulbrood is a bacterial disease that affects bees in their larval stage. Why it's harmful: Bacterial spores penetrate the wall of the digestive tract, or gut, killing the bee just as it reaches the pupa stage. Extent of problem: Experiment station scientists estimate that about 50 percent of all bee colonies in the state managed by beekeepers are infected to some degree. Why it's important: The disease can wipe out entire bee colonies. Bees are vital, not only for producing honey, but also for pollinating such crops as apples, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, pears, alfalfa, clover, turnips, garlic, onion, squash and asparagus. Source: Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
A Comment posted by reader in washington d.c.: It's because of the product "Round-Up" and genetically modified food. The "terminator gene" developed by Monsanto and ConAgra has transplanted itself into the food chain