Why are honey bees disappearing?
Bee colonies affected by colony collapse disorder (CCD) can appear healthy as few as three weeks prior to collapse, but then the adult bees disappear from the colonies–hence the historic nickname, “disappearing disease.” The disappearing bees leave behind a box full of honey, pollen, capped brood, a queen, and maybe a few worker bees. Beekeepers report that in colonies with CCD, dead bees are not found in the hive or on the ground outside of the colonies. Instead, the adult bees simply disappear. The final symptom is that small hive beetles, wax moths, and other nearby honey bees ignore the empty hive, even though the hive contains foodstuffs on which they ordinarily feed. The Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium (MAAREC) is the current clearing house for CCD-based information produced by the CCD Working Group.
