The current Scientific American online update has an article about Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD, which has been the subject of a previous staff report by Doug.
Doug had concluded that:
The Sci Am article, “Solving the Mystery of the Vanishing Bees” By Diana Cox-Foster and Dennis vanEngelsdorp details studies done since 2006, searching for the cause of CCD.
As had been reported in the staff report, they found several possible contributing factors and a possible smoking gun.
So we heard it here first. The article is worth a read because it details the history of the search for the cause and explains some of the tests and experiments that were run, which is interesting.
At the end, when they were listing things that beekeepers could do to lessen the odds of CCD, it mentioned that treating old hives with gamma rays before reusing them was a good way to prevent the disease. As I read that, I could have sworn that I heard a tiny, squeeky voice say Hulk Smash!