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Clinton seeks calls for Senate action on honeybee decline

ALBANY, N.Y. With the decline of honeybee populations nationwide, Hillary Rodham Clinton is calling on her Senate colleagues to address the looming threat to fruit and produce growers in New York and other states.
Experts are trying to determine what is killing off honeybee colonies. Honeybees are important because they pollinate so many flowering crops consumed by humans, including apples, peaches, cherries, strawberries, melons, nuts, broccoli, celery, squash and cucumbers.

Honeybees also pollinate alfalfa, which is used to feed cattle.

The so-called Colony Collapse Disorder is a major concern in New York state, one of the nation's largest producers of apples and other crops. The president of the New York Apple Association say growers across the state are worried that there won't be enough bees to pollinate this year's crop.

Clinton says Senate committees on agriculture need to address the honeybee issue in the upcoming farm bill in Congress.

Dan Rather Reports

Episode Number: 219

Episode Title: Where are the Bees?

Description: Dan Rather Reports learns of amazing new discoveries scientists and the government are making in the quest for why bees are dying. Also, more on the story of formaldehyde gas in trailers provided to hurricane victims. And, immigrants talk about what new legislation pending in congress would mean to them.



Transcript:
TONIGHT, WHERE HAVE ALL THE BEES GONE? WE DON'T FIND ANY DEAD BEES IN THE COLONY. THEY'RE AREN'T ANY BODIES THERE. EVERYBODY'S JUST DISAPPEARED AND GONE. SCIENTISTS CLOSE IN ON A CAUSE FOR A MASSIVE BEE DIE-OFF. IT'S CONCERNING SCIENTISTS AND THREATENING FARMERS. ALSO TRAILER TOWN U.S.A. TRAILERS THAT MAKE PEOPLE SICK. WORKERS WHO BUILT SOME OF THE THOUSANDS OF TRAILERS SENT TO THE GULF ARE REPORTING SOMETHING MADE THEM SICK TOO. FORMALDEHYDE IS THE CHIEF SUSPECT. IT STARTED OUT, JUST SEVERE COLD SYMPTOMS AT FIRST - BURNING, SCRATCHY EYES, COUGHING I WAS NEVER ABLE TO GET OVER IT. AND IT BECAME HARDER TO BREATHE I WAS HAVING A MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TIME BREATHING. AND IMMIGRATION REFORM IS VERY MUCH ON THE MINDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO NOW CALL THE U.S. HOME. I WANTED A CHANGE OF LIFE OR CHANGE OF SCENERY, SO I DECIDED TO COME TO NEW YORK WHERE EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT THE AMERICAN DREAM AND GIVE IT A SHOT. AND I JUST ENDED UP COMING OUT HERE AND ENDED UP LOVING THE PLACE, JUST LIKE CAROLINE HERE. NEXT ON DAN RATHER REPORTS.

GOOD EVENING FROM TIMES SQUARE IN NEW YORK. NO PLACE IN AMERICA IS AS DIVERSE AS NEW YORK CITY. DOZENS OF NATIONALITIES ARE REPRESENTED HERE IN WHAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE TRUE MELTING POT OF OUR DEMOCRACY. SO WE THOUGHT WHAT BETTER PLACE TO HEAR " WHAT THE IMMIGRANTS THINK" ABOUT IMMIGRATION REFORM. THEY'RE FOLLOWING DEVELOPMENTS IN WASHINGTON VERY CLOSELY. WE'LL HAVE THAT LATER IN THE BROADCAST. BUT FIRST, WE'RE GOING TO TELL YOU ABOUT A MEDICAL MYSTERY THAT HAS LED TO DEATH ON AN UNIMAGINABLE SCALE. IT IS A STORY THAT MAY VERY WELL BE TAKING PLACE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT HAS BEEN LARGELY INVISIBLE. SINCE LAST FALL, ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, AND AROUND THE WORLD, HONEY BEES, THOSE PESKY BUZZING BUGS WITH STINGERS WHO ALSO HELP POLLINATE MANY OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT CROPS, HAVE BEEN SIMPLY DISAPPEARING AT A RATE AND INTENSITY THAT IS WORRYING FARMERS AND BAFFLING A TEAM OF SCIENTISTS ON THE TRAIL OF A SECRET AND MERCILESS KILLER.

BEES ARE SOCIAL CREATURES, LIVING IN COLONIES - EACH OF WHICH CAN HOUSE UP TO 60, 000 INDIVIDUALS. WE LEARN IN HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE CLASS ABOUT THE INTRICATE DANCES THEY USE TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER. BUT TODAY, SCIENTISTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE LOOKING FOR CLUES AS TO WHY HONEYBEE HIVES ARE TURNING INTO GHOST TOWNS. FRAZIER: WE'VE NEVER SEEN THESE KIND OF LOSSES AT THIS LEVEL. MARYANN FRAZIER HAS BEEN STUDYING BEES AT PENN STATE UNIVERSITY FOR 18 YEARS. SHE SERVES AS A LIAISON BETWEEN THE SCIENTISTS AND THE HUGE COMMERCIAL BEE INDUSTRY. SHE NOW FINDS HERSELF ON THE FRONT LINE IN STUDYING A MYSTERIOUS THREAT WITH AN OMINOUS NAME. COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER. CCD, OR COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER, IS A CONDITION WHERE THE BEES, BASICALLY THE ADULT BEES DISAPPEAR FROM THE HIVE. THEY ABANDON THE HIVE. THERE'S ADULT BEES IN THE HIVE OF VARIOUS AGES, AND THEN THERE'S THE BROOD, THE YOUNG BEES THAT ARE IN THE HIVE. AND SO WHAT HAPPENS IN THESE CASES WITH COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER IS THAT THE ADULT BEES OVER EITHER A MONTH, OR AS LITTLE AS A WEEK BASICALLY JUST LEAVE THE HIVE AND DON'T COME BACK. EITHER BECAUSE THEY'RE SICK OR BECAUSE THEY CAN'T FIND THEIR WAY BACK. THE IMPLICATION THAT THE LOSS OF BEES HAS ON OUR ENVIRONMENT, AND SPECIFICALLY OUR FOOD SUPPLY, IS SIGNIFICANT. BEES POLLINATE ABOUT 90 CROPS THAT HUMANS CONSUME. THEY INCLUDE LOTS OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, APPLES, PEACHES, PEARS, PLUMS, CHERRIES, LOTS OF VINE CROPS LIKE THE CUCUMBERS, SQUASH, MELONS, LOTS OF SMALL FRUITS. IN ADDITION THEY POLLINATE SEED FOR ALFALFA WHICH IS NECESSARY FOR DAIRY PRODUCTION AND FOR BEEF PRODUCTION. THE HONEYBEE POLLINATION ALONE IS VALUED AT ABOUT 14 BILLION DOLLARS COX-FOSTER: A LOT APPRECIATE OR UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT BEES ARE TO AGRICULTURE. DIANNA COX-FOSTER, IS A PROFESSOR AT PENN STATE WHO SPECIALIZES IN HONEYBEES. IF YOU DON'T HAVE THOSE PLANTS BLOOMING AND PRODUCING AND CONTINUING SEED PRODUCTION BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT GETTING POLLINATED THEN YOU BEGIN TO LOSE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ENTIRE FOOD WEB OR ECOSYSTEM THAT'S OUT THERE. SO IT TRANSLATES UP ON THROUGH EVERY ANIMAL, EVERY BIRD, EVERY FISH, ETC., ON UP TO OURSELVES. SO POTENTIALLY, THE WHOLE PYRAMID PER SE WOULD FALL DOWN BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF POLLINATION. AND THAT'S WHY SCIENTISTS LIKE DR. COX-FOSTER, WHO HAS STUDIED HONEYBEES AND THEIR DISEASES FOR A DECADE, ARE SO CONCERNED. SHE'S A LEAD INVESTIGATOR INTO THE CAUSES OF BEE COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER - WHICH HAS NOW STRUCK MORE THAN HALF THE UNITED STATES. AN INDUSTRY GROUP ESTIMATES THAT MORE THAN 25 PERCENT OF THE NATION'S 2.5 MILLION BEE COLONIES ARE GONE. COX-FOSTER: THE BIG MYSTERY WITH THE COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER IS THAT WE DON'T FIND ANY DEAD BEES IN THE COLONY. THEY'RE AREN'T ANY BODIES THERE. EVERYBODY'S JUST DISAPPEARED AND GONE. LIPKIN: THE FIRST THING WE TRIED TO DO WAS TO EXCLUDE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. DR. IAN LIPKIN IS A PROFESSOR AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - WHO NORMALLY STUDIES DEADLY HUMAN PATHOGENS - LIKE THE WEST NILE VIRUS. THAT WAS EXACTLY THE KIND OF EXPERTISE DR. COX-FOSTER WAS LOOKING FOR WHEN SHE APPROACHED HIM AFTER HE GAVE A TALK AT A MEDICAL CONFERENCE. WHAT SHE DESCRIBED FOR ME WAS THE IMPLICATIONS OF COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER, NOT ONLY FOR HONEY, WHICH I HAPPEN TO LIKE VERY MUCH, BUT FOR ALSO FOR POLLINATION AND THE IMPLICATION FOR AGRICULTURE. AND WHAT THIS ACTUALLY MEANT IN TERMS ECONOMIC DEVASTATION, NOT ONLY FOR HERE, BUT AROUND THE WORLD. SHE POINTED TO OUTBREAKS IN EUROPE AND IN AFRICA AND THE AMERICAS IN GENERAL. SO IT BECAME AN IMPORTANT GLOBAL PROBLEM. WE WERE FINDING ALL THESE KNOWN BEE PATHOGENS, BUT WE COULDN'T COME UP WITH HAVING ONE OF THOSE BE FINGERED AS THE CULPRIT FOR CAUSING COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER. IT DIDN'T MATCH ANYTHING WE HAD SEEN BEFORE. AND THAT LED TO THE NEW QUESTION ABOUT WHERE THERE ANY NO OR RE- EMERGING PATHOGENS THAT MIGHT BE SHOWING UP IN THESE BEES. AND TO DO THAT, IT TAKES, IT WOULD BE LIKE A MAJOR MYSTERY STORY THAT WOULD TAKE MANY YEARS FOR US, USING OUR STANDARD TECHNIQUES TO UNRAVEL. AND WE DON'T HAVE THAT AMOUNT OF TIME IN ORDER TO TRY TO GET THE BEES BACK TO NORMAL HEALTH. SO I LEARNED ABOUT DR. IAN LIPKIN AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, AND HIS PEOPLE THERE AT THE GREEN LAB, WHICH ARE SORT OF GERM HUNTERS. SO WHAT WE DID WAS TO TAKE SAMPLES THAT SHE SENT TO US FROM VARIOUS OPERATIONS - EITHER AFFECTED OR NOT WITH CCD - WE EXAMINED ALL THE GENETIC MATERIAL THAT WAS PRESENT WITHIN THESE COLONIES, AND WE STUDIED IT BY COMPARING IT TO VARIOUS DATABANKS OF WHAT WAS KNOWN ABOUT GENES OF BEES, AND GENES OF BACTERIA, AND GENES OF PARASITES AND VIRUSES, AND WE BEGAN TO GENERATE A LIST OF CANDIDATES THAT MIGHT BE IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF THIS DISORDER. WE HAVE FOUND IN LOOKING AT BEES THAT ARE DYING, CCD BEES VERSUS THOSE THAT ARE PERFECTLY HEALTHY, THAT WE DO HAVE SOME VERY DISTINCT ORGANISMS IN THE BEES THAT ARE DYING. AND WE'RE SLOWLY NARROWED THIS PROCESS DOWN TO WHERE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO EXCLUDE A LARGE NUMBER OF FUNGI, AND PARASITES AND VARIOUS VIRUSES, UNTIL WE GOT TO THE POINT WHERE WE HAVE LEADING CANDIDATES. AND WE'RE CONFIDENT THAT WE'RE CLOSING IN ON SOME OF THESE LEAD CANDIDATES. ON THIS WINDY SPRING DAY, WE'RE AT THE ATLANTIC BLUEBERRY COMPANY'S BIG BLUEBERRY FARM IN SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY. THIS IS ONE OF, IF NOT THE LARGEST BLUEBERRY FARMS IN THE WORLD. WHEN A FEW THOUSAND BEES DIE, NO ONE MUCH NOTICES, BUT WHEN WHOLE COLONIES OF BEES BEGIN TO DISAPPEAR, IN SOME CASES WITHOUT A TRACE, CONCERN GROWS. DENNIS WRIGHT: LET'S GO OVER AND LOOK AT SOME BEES. RATHER: THIS IS WHERE YOU KEEP THEM. -YEAH DENNIS WRIGHT FOLLOWED HIS FATHER INTO THE BEEKEEPING BUSINESS. HE OWNS 3, 500 HIVES - OR APPROXIMATELY 200 MILLION BEES, GIVE OR TAKE A FEW MILLION. HE BRINGS HIS HIVES TO FARMS LIKE THIS, GROWING BLUEBERRIES IN SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY. YEP, THESE GUYS HERE ARE POLLINATING THESE FLOWERS. THEY'RE ACTUALLY TRANSFERRING POLLEN FROM ONE FLOWER TO ANOTHER. THE TRANSFER OF POLLEN CREATES THE FRUIT. AND THEY'VE BEEN OUT SINCE DAWN DOING IT? HOPEFULLY YEAH. IF NOT, WE NEED TO KICK THE BOX HERE AND GET THEM MOVING A LITTLE BIT. WHEN THE SUN COMES UP THEY'RE OUT. AND THEN THEY COME BACK TO THE HIVE AND THEN THEY'LL COME BACK IN THE EVENING, YEAH THEY'LL ALL COME BACK IN THE HIVE. EACH BEE THAT COMES BACK HAS A SCENT OF THIS HIVE. EACH HIVE HAS AN INDIVIDUAL SCENT. SO WHEN THEY COME BACK, THEY CHECK IT. IF HE'S GOT THE SCENT, HE CAN GO, IF NOT, THEY'LL FIGHT AND KICK HIM OUT. WELL HOW IMPORTANT IT THE BEE TO CROPS SUCH AS BLUEBERRIES? IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE BEES, THEY WOULD PROBABLY HAVE ABOUT 50 PERCENT OF A CROP. PAUL GALLETTA IS THE OWNER OF THIS BLUEBERRY FARM. IT'S BEEN IN HIS FAMILY FOR OVER 80 YEARS. TELL ME ABOUT THE BLUEBERRY BUSINESS AND WHERE THE BEES FIT IN. MY IGNORANCE OF THIS KNOWS NO BOUNDS. OKAY. WE'RE A CROP THAT'S VERY DEPENDANT ON POLLINATION BY THE HONEYBEE. NOW WE HAVE OTHER METHODS SUCH AS WIND, INSECTS, HONEYBEES THAT ARE WILD, BUMBLEBEES. BUT THE HONEYBEE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A STAPLE ON THE BLUEBERRY INDUSTRY FOR YEARS. WHAT'S THE PROBLEM NOW? WELL THERE SEEMS TO BE A SHORTAGE OF GOOD, STRONG HIVES IN THE COUNTRY.

YOU'VE GOT THIS SMOKER ON THE TOP. YEAH IT'S MY SMOKER. I JUST USE PINE NEEDLES IN THERE JUST TO CALM THEM. IT'S A CALMING, IS WHAT IT IS. BEEKEEPER WRIGHT'S HAD PROBLEMS WITH SOME OF HIS HIVES, BUT THESE IN NEW JERSEY ARE PRIMARILY HEALTHY. HE WAS KIND ENOUGH TO GIVE US AN UP-CLOSE LESSON IN BEEKEEPING. DOWN HERE ALL THE EGG LAYING IS DONE BY THE QUEEN. SEE HOW THAT WHITE IS. THAT'S ALL FRESH WAX THAT THEY'VE, THEY'VE MADE.

THIS IS A FRAME OF HONEY HERE. ALL THAT'S HONEY.

OH FRESH HONEY. FRESH HONEY. THIS IS A QUEEN EXCLUDER THAT WE USE. THE WORKER BEES CAN COME THROUGH THAT, THEY'RE SMALL ENOUGH TO PUT THE HONEY IN THE TOP SUPERS. BUT THE QUEEN, SHE'S LARGER, SO SHE CAN'T GET THROUGH THAT. SO SHE STAYS DOWN HERE THE WHOLE TIME.

WHEN I MAKE UP A NEW COLONY OF BEES, WE HAVE TO ADD A NEW QUEEN TO IT. INSIDE THESE CAGES I GET THESE QUEENS THAT ARE RAISED BY A QUEEN BREEDER. NOW SEE THE SIZE OF HER COMPARED TO A WORKER BEE. SHE'S JUST A LITTLE LONGER, A LITTLE MORE NARROW. AND EACH ONE OF THOSE QUEENS HAS THEIR OWN SCENT. SO WHEN I INTRODUCE IT TO A COLONY, I CAN'T JUST TURN HER LOOSE IN THERE, THEY'D KILL HER RIGHT AWAY. SO WHAT THEY DO IS THEY HAVE THIS CANDY MADE UP HERE, THIS SOFT CANDY AND THEY PUT A CORK IN THIS END. YOU TAKE THE CORK OUT, THESE WORKER BEES, IT WILL TAKE THEM ROUGHLY ABOUT THREE DAYS TO EAT THROUGH THAT CANDY, AND IN THAT TIME THEY TAKE HER SCENT AND DISPERSE IT THROUGHOUT THE HIVE SO NOW THEY ACCEPT HER WHEN SHE COMES OUT OF THIS HOLE. THIS IS THE MOTOR OF THE HIVE. IT'S JUST LIKE YOUR CAR, THAT'S THE MOTOR. WITHOUT HER IT DOESN'T GO. BUT ONE PER HIVE. ONE PER HIVE, YEP.

PRETTY AMAZING.

A QUEEN WILL LIVE ROUGHLY ABOUT A YEAR. WHEREAS THE LIFESPAN OF A REGULAR BEE IS SUMMERTIME SIX WEEKS. BUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY, MANY BEES AREN'T EVEN LIVING THAT LONG. THE PROBLEM HASN'T REACHED GALLETTA'S FARM YET, BUT GROWERS LIKE HIM, ALL OVER THE NATION AND IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD, ARE PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION. I RECOGNIZE THAT YOUR BUSINESS IS TO RAISE THE BLUEBERRIES. RIGHT. NOT TO RAISE THE BEES. BUT YOU MUST TALK TO ABOUT IT. I MEAN, I BELONG TO THE STATE BEEKEEPERS ADVISORY BOARD. SO THEY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE ONE GROWER FROM BLUEBERRIES, ONE GROWER FROM CRANBERRIES. THEY'RE TWO OF THE LARGEST CROPS OF NEW JERSEY THAT ARE, THAT NEED POLLINATION BY COMMERCIAL HONEYBEE POPULATIONS. SO IT IS VERY IMPORTANT AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE ON OUR RADAR THAT YOU KNOW, WE'RE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT FOR THEIR HEALTH. -WELL YOU'RE A FARMER NOT A BEEKEEPER. THAT'S CORRECT -AND YOU'RE NOT A SCIENTIST. THAT'S CORRECT EXCEPT EVERY FARMER IS A SCIENTIST IN A WAY. BUT WHAT'S YOUR OWN GUT TELL YOU WHAT THE PROBLEM IS? OR DO YOU HAVE A GUT ON IT? I REALLY DON'T HAVE A GUT FEELING. THERE'S BEEN SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE BEEKEEPING INDUSTRY OVER THE LAST 25 YEARS, JUST LIKE BLUEBERRIES. I MEAN WE'RE HERE IN AN ENVIRONMENT AND WE HAVE A DIFFERENT PATHOGEN EVERY YEARS THAT WE'VE NEVER SEEN. SOMETHING IS ALWAYS AROUND THE CORNER THAT YOU DON'T EXPECT. SINCE THE MID-EIGHTIES, OUR HONEYBEES HAVE HAD A NUMBER OF TRAUMATIC EPISODES. WE'VE HAD THE INTRODUCTION OF TWO PARASITIC MITES. THE VARROA MITE AND THE HONEYBEE TRACHEAL MITE IN THE 80S. SO THE BEEKEEPERS HAVE SURVIVED A NUMBER OF DIFFICULT BARRIERS TO SUCCESSFUL BEEKEEPING. THIS IS THE LATEST IN A SERIES OF DIFFICULT SITUATIONS. AND WITH THAT IN MIND, EVEN AS SCIENTISTS HOME IN ON PATHOGENS AS A LIKELY CULPRIT, THEY ARE RETICENT ABOUT JUMPING TO DEFINITIVE CONCLUSIONS WITHOUT FURTHER STUDY. IF WE WERE TO RELEASE SOMETHING PREMATURELY AND WE WERE TO SAY THAT WE HAD IDENTIFIED THE CAUSE OF THIS DISORDER, AND WE WERE TO BE WRONG, THEN PEOPLE MIGHT STOP LOOKING AND THEY MIGHT IN FACT MISS THE APPROPRIATE IDENTIFICATION. DR. COX-FOSTER AND HER TEAM ARE STILL CASTING A WIDE NET. THEY'RE ACTIVELY LOOKING AT ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. ONE SUSPECT HIGH ON THEIR LIST: A COMMON CLASS OF PESTICIDE. THERE IS THIS POTENTIAL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PESTICIDES TO BE PART OF THE PROBLEM HERE. IT'S NOT A DONE DEAL THAT WE'RE NOT SAYING THAT THIS IS WHAT'S CAUSING IT, BUT THEY MIGHT BE PARTLY INVOLVED IN TRIGGERING THIS COLLAPSE AS WELL. WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE IS NOT A LETHAL EFFECT, BECAUSE WE CAN EASILY DOCUMENT A LETHAL EFFECT OF PESTICIDES. THAT'S VERY EASY TO DO. WHAT WE SEE IS A PILE OF DEAD BEES IN FRONT OF THE HIVE. THAT WE KNOW WITH PESTICIDES, THAT'S TYPICAL KIND OF PESTICIDE KILL. THESE THINGS ARE MUCH MORE SUBTLE WE THINK IN THEIR ACTION. WE CALL IT A SUB-LETHAL EFFECT, WHERE IT DOESN'T KILL THE BEES OUTRIGHT, BUT IT DOES THINGS TO THEM THAT EVENTUALLY LEADS TO THEIR DEMISE - LIKE FOR INSTANCE IMPACTING THEIR IMMUNE SYSTEM SO THAT VIRUSES CAN HAVE THEIR WAY WITH THE BEES, OR THEIR ABILITY TO INTERFERE WITH THE BEE'S ABILITY TO LEARN AND POSSIBLY NOT BEING ABLE TO FIND THEIR WAY BACK TO THE HIVE. SO THAT'S OUR CONCERN. AND SUB-LETHAL EFFECTS ARE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO DOCUMENT SO EVEN IF WE FIND A BRAND NEW ORGANISM IN THE BEES THAT HAVE THE COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER THAT'S NOT THERE IN THE HEALTHY ONES, WE CAN'T REALLY SAY IT IS THE CULPRIT YET. WE HAVE TO DEMONSTRATE IT. THE SAME GOES FOR THESE PESTICIDES. EVEN IF WE FIND THAT THEY'RE IN THE COLONIES WITH THE COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER ONGOING, AND NOT IN THE HEALTHY ONES, WE STILL HAVE TO COME BACK AND DEMONSTRATE IT AND SHOW WHAT THEY CALL A CAUSATION MECHANISM, THAT THIS IS REALLY WHAT'S RESPONSIBLE. SO WHAT WE'RE PLANNING TO DO IN THE VERY NEXT FEW MONTHS, OR NEXT FEW YEARS, IT MAY TAKE A WHILE, IS COME AND TRY TO SIMULATE OUR OWN COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER. WE NEED TO GO IN AND CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE THAT THESE MICROBES ARE RESPONSIBLE OR TO SHOW THAT THESE PESTICIDES ARE IMPACTING THE BEE IMMUNE SYSTEM, KNOCKING IT OUT. AND WHAT WE THINK WE HAVE DISCOVERED IS THERE IS A ROUTE OF INFECTION THAT THEY MOVED OVER FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY INTO THE UNITED STATES, POTENTIALLY TWO DIFFERENT ROUTES, AND THIS IS A BRAND NEW DISEASE THAT IS MOVING IN WE LIVE IN A GLOBAL VILLAGE. THERE ISN'T ANY SUCH THING AS AN AMERICAN VIRUS, OR A CHINESE VIRUS, OR AN ITALIAN VIRUS. VIRUSES ARE GLOBAL. SO IN FACT WHAT WE'RE SEEING AT THIS POINT IS WE THINK IS A PATHOGEN THAT'S BEEN INTRODUCED INTO THE UNITED STATES IN RECENT PAST. BUT WE DON'T HAVE, WE DON'T HAVE ANY PROOF OF THAT. WE DON'T KNOW WHEN IT MIGHT HAVE COME IN OR HOW IT MIGHT HAVE COME IN. ALL WE CAN REALLY WORK FROM IS THE GENETIC STRUCTURE OF THIS VIRUS AND COMPARE IT WITH OTHER KNOWN VIRUSES TO GET SOME NOTION OF WHETHER IT MIGHT BE IMPORTANT. -WE KNOW THAT THE NUMBER OF COLONIES OF BEES, NOT JUST IN THIS COUNTRY BUT GLOBALLY, IS DIMINISHING. BESIDES THE EFFECT ON YOUR BLUEBERRY BUSINESS, DOES IT CONCERN YOU? AND IF SO, HOW? IT CONCERNS ME FROM A CONSUMER. I MEAN THERE'S SO MANY FRUITS AND VEGETABLES THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT AWARE OF THAT RELY ON HONEYBEE POLLINATION. IT'S AMAZING. IF YOU JUST WENT DOWN THROUGH ALL THE DIFFERENT FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. SO IT'S VERY ALARMING THAT THE COLONIES ARE BEING REDUCED AND THERE'S A PROBLEM OUT THERE. SO WE ARE CONCERNED AS BOTH AS CONSUMERS AND FARMERS THAT RELY ON THEM.

Here’s a link to a recent video discussing colony collapse disorder. Note it’s part one of three.

http://www.archive.org/details/ColonyCollapseDisorderRadioCCD3_superstructures_pt1

Correcting myself for the link shared earlier. It’s not to video - but an audio file on topic (downloadable or streaming).