In another piece of bad news for bees, a parasitic fly has been found to cause have die-off.
"The fly, a species known as Apocephalus borealis, has been known to parasitize bumblebees and paper wasps, but this was the first indication that it might also affect honeybees. The fly deposits its eggs in the bee’s abdomen, causing its host to abandon the hive, flying to nowhere “like a zombie,” and die. About one week later, as many as 13 larvae push their way out into the world from between the bee’s head and thorax. A terrifying image. However, not as terrifying as what it portends for honeybee colonies and the fate the agricultural systems that depends on them."
To learn more about how this was discovered, and the difficulties that honey bees are facing, read the article, "Researchers identify yet another threat to hive health" . “Colony Collapse Disorder is not caused by a single pathogen or parasite,” says Hafernik. “It’s a combination of factors that pushes hives to their tipping point.” While there is no consensus on what is driving this phenomenon, researchers concede that the techniques of modern agriculture likely play a role.
