Colony collapse disorder, solved?

A fungus and a virus together seem to be the culprits

By Culinate staff

October 12, 2010

Hardworking honey bees have struggled in recent years, suffering mightily from a number of afflictions. None has been as bad — or as mysterious — as colony collapse disorder, in which entire colonies simply vanish, the bees flying off en masse to die. Now comes a report that the killer may be a fungus working in tandem with a virus. Potential treatments are available, but there are still many unanswered questions:

Scientists in the project emphasize that their conclusions are not the final word. The pattern, they say, seems clear, but more research is needed to determine, for example, how further outbreaks might be prevented, and how much environmental factors like heat, cold, or drought might play a role.