Bee experts hunt for cause of massive honeybee die-offs

ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell University bee experts are analyzing samples of bees and related material to help identify the cause of unprecedented managed honeybee losses this winter.

The colony die-offs became apparent as U.S. commercial beekeepers geared up to transport colonies to California, where approximately 70% of the nation’s managed honeybees are trucked to pollinate almonds each year.

Average recent losses have been upward of 60% of honeybee colonies, leading to combined financial losses of at least $139 million, according to an ongoing survey of 234 beekeepers from across the country. The survey is being conducted by Project Apis m., the American Beekeeping Federation, the American Honey Producers Association and extension programs and beekeepers.

“Based on early numbers that are coming in, it’s suggestive that this will be the biggest loss of honeybee colonies in U.S. history,” said Scott McArt, associate professor of entomology and program director for the Dyce Lab for Honey Bee Studies at Cornell.

The Bee Research Laboratory at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, Maryland, has collected samples of honeybees, wax, pollen and honey from dead and living hives. The government facility is now testing samples for parasites (such as varroa mites) and viruses. But due to government staffing cuts and the high expense involved with testing samples for pesticides, USDA staff and commercial beekeepers approached McArt to see if Cornell could handle pesticide analyses.

“The USDA lab has had cuts, so they simply can’t do a quick turnaround for these pesticide results. And at the same time, it’s very expensive for them,” McArt said.

McArt and colleagues are using mass spectrometry techniques to analyze 500 samples and identify chemical residues. The Cornell lab can process up to 50 samples a week. Each sample costs about $120 to test; an anonymous private donor came forward to fund the project.

Findings from the USDA samples won’t be available for at least another month, McArt said.

Two years ago, Florida beekeepers experienced similar losses of up to 90% of their colonies, and $4.28 million in revenue, though the damage was limited to a few very large commercial honeybee operations in Florida. At the time, the USDA bee lab had the capacity to run the samples, and their results will soon be published. Early indications are that neonicotinoid pesticides, possibly used to control Asian citrus psyllid pests on oranges, were to blame.

For additional information, see this Cornell Chronicle story.

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