# The cause of Hive Collapse. Newslink **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 7, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cause-of-hive-collapse-newslink/556417 "2010-10-07T22:09:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cause-of-hive-collapse-newslink/556417/1 "2010-10-07T22:09:59Z")
A fungus and a virus. > **[Scientists and Soldiers Solve a Bee Mystery (Published 2010)](https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/science/07bees.html?_r=1)** > > A fungus and a virus apparently caused the honeybee “colony collapse.” > [@](#): > > Since 2006, 20 to 40 percent of the bee colonies in the United States alone have suffered “colony collapse.” Suspected culprits ranged from pesticides to genetically modified food. > > A fungus tag-teaming with a virus have apparently interacted to cause the problem, according to a paper by Army scientists in Maryland and bee experts in Montana in the online science journal PLoS One. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cause-of-hive-collapse-newslink/556417/2 "2010-10-08T12:13:24Z")
Take it from this professional entomologist - the jury is still out on this. Talk to 10 bee biologists, you’ll get 15 different reasons for CCD. They are probably all correct. CCD is a syndrome, and likely lots of things, either singular or in combination, can cause it. There are some data to suggest that bee colonies have gone through this periodically for a long time. Do viruses and fungi contribute? Probably. Probably also pesticides, climate, breeding methods and movement of hives. There is a lot of research still to be done here. Not to take away from this study - its a good one - but more info is needed. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cause-of-hive-collapse-newslink/556417/3 "2010-10-08T16:04:32Z")
Poor bees. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cause-of-hive-collapse-newslink/556417/4 "2010-10-08T16:10:07Z")
Is it just in the U.S. that this syndrome is being observed or does it extend further, even beyond North and South America? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cause-of-hive-collapse-newslink/556417/5 "2010-10-09T20:32:31Z")
So there really is a fungus among us… ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cause-of-hive-collapse-newslink/556417/6 "2010-10-09T21:05:19Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Is it just in the U.S. that this syndrome is being observed or does it extend further, even beyond North and South America? As I understand it, India is having very severe problems. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cause-of-hive-collapse-newslink/556417/7 "2010-10-11T05:11:56Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > > [@lieu](#): > > > > Is it just in the U.S. that this syndrome is being observed or does it extend further, even beyond North and South America? > > As I understand it, India is having very severe problems. According to Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > European beekeepers observed similar phenomena in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, and initial reports have also come in from Switzerland and Germany, albeit to a lesser degree while the Northern Ireland Assembly received reports of a decline greater than 50%. Possible cases of CCD have also been reported in Taiwan since April 2007 but the good news is > [@](#): > > As of 2009, the number of reported cases of CCD in the U.S. had dropped considerably; over the 2008/2009 winter, a total loss of 28.6% of managed honey bee colonies was recorded in the U.S., and only 15% of that subset (equal to only 4.3% of the national total) died with symptoms of CCD. > [@Rigamarole](#): > > So there really is a fungus among us… Well, people _have_ called me funguy … ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cause-of-hive-collapse-newslink/556417/8 "2010-10-11T15:22:39Z")
[Obligatory Onion link](http://www.theonion.com/articles/area-man-suddenly-realizes-hes-the-one-whos-been-k,18044/)