# Update on Colony Collapse Disorder **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [April 17, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-colony-collapse-disorder/493427 "2009-04-17T16:01:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-colony-collapse-disorder/493427/1 "2009-04-17T16:01:40Z")
I saw [this article](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090414084627.htm) today which made me think of the Staff Report on [honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2823/why-are-the-bees-disappearing) The article says the collapses are being caused by a parasite known as “Nosema Ceranae” From the article > [@](#): > > They found no evidence of any other cause of the disease (such as the Varroa destructor, IAPV or pesticides), other than infection with Nosema ceranae. The article goes on to say that they successfully treated several hives for the parasite and the hives completely recovered. So, have they found the solution? Why did this particular parasite suddenly become a problem? ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-colony-collapse-disorder/493427/2 "2009-04-17T16:08:18Z")
There is no problem, so there can’t really be a solution, you know. Parasitical attacks and infections, even ones which wipe out a population, are hardly unknown or unexpected in the animal kingdom. The brief and pointless media frenzy was an idiotic attempt to panic everyone, apparently by the ignorantly environmental. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-colony-collapse-disorder/493427/3 "2009-04-17T17:57:37Z")
So they weren’t going back to [Melissa Majoria](http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Melissa_Majoria) like the Doctor said? ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2009, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-colony-collapse-disorder/493427/4 "2009-04-25T13:17:02Z")
There was a fascinating BBC documentary on the subject a couple of nights ago called _Who Killed the Honey Bee_; it’s on the [BBC iplayer](http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00jzjys/Who_Killed_the_Honey_Bee/) at the moment, but I don’t know if non-UK residents can access it… ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2009, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-colony-collapse-disorder/493427/5 "2009-04-25T13:51:11Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > There is no problem, so there can’t really be a solution, you know. Parasitical attacks and infections, even ones which wipe out a population, are hardly unknown or unexpected in the animal kingdom. The brief and pointless media frenzy was an idiotic attempt to panic everyone, apparently by the ignorantly environmental. How does the fact that attacks extincting\* a species are common lead to the conclusion that the possible extinction of the honey bee is “no problem?” You might dispute that the honeybee might have been extincted, but that’s not the approach you took in this post. In this post you just said there was “no problem” and you explicitly said that’s the case _even if_ the attack might have wiped out a population (by which I assume you meant the honeybee species?) ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-colony-collapse-disorder/493427/6 "2009-04-27T18:39:21Z")
**smiling bandit** said: > [@](#): > > There is no problem, so there can’t really be a solution, you know. Parasitical attacks and infections, even ones which wipe out a population, are hardly unknown or unexpected in the animal kingdom. The fact that parasitical attacks and infections exist is not news. The particular parasitical attack or infection in this case is. The results of this particular instance are. You are being very dismissive without any justification. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-colony-collapse-disorder/493427/7 "2009-04-28T02:28:51Z")
> [@](#): > > There have been other hypothesis for colony collapse in Europe and the USA, but never has this bug been identified as the primary cause in professional apiaries. > > “Now that we know one strain of parasite that could be responsible So they really don’t know if this is the cause of colony collapse disorder, or just something they found this one time. It’s not yet time to rub it to all the people who claimed, “there’s no such thing as colony collapse disorder.” But, **smiling bandit** , wtf? Did your psychological defense mechanisms pop up? ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-colony-collapse-disorder/493427/8 "2009-04-29T13:51:25Z")
Well, Alex, to be fair, **nothing else** has been identified as the primary cause, either. That’s why it has been a mystery. The other _hypotheses_ were (and presumably are) under investigation, but not confirmed. So the fact that they are legitimately pointing out that so far their results have been limited to two apiaries does not preclude that colony collapse disorder is real, or that this cause is the major cause. It only recognizes the early stages of their results.