Scientist: Colony Collapse Disorder Due to Malnutrition, Disease

Scientists Say It’s Time to Act Now to Ward Off a Pollination Crisis
Madolyn Rogers, Santa Cruz Sentinel (USA), 1/27/2008

At the 28th annual Ecological Farming Conference in Monterey Thursday, scientists discussed the possible causes of the steep loss of honeybee colonies nationwide in 2007, and said now is the time to take action to ward off a pollination crisis.

Entomologist Eric Mussen of UC Davis said the phenomenon, dubbed Colony Collapse Disorder in 2007, is not new. Similar losses occurred in the winter of 2005 and also in 1963-1965. In every case, adult bees abandoned the nests, leaving their queen behind.

The cause of these periodic collapses is still not certain, Mussen said, but he believes it's due to a combination of malnutrition and disease…