SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- Periods of honeybee colony loss have not been uncommon in the history of bee keeping, but Dr. Eric Mussen at the University of California, Davis, says something unusual began to happen about three or four years ago.
“The bee keepers began to see colony losses that looked a little bit different than the ones that they normally encountered, and we were never able to figure, still haven’t, exactly why that happened. But a new name was put on it, and it was called ‘Colony Collapse Disorder.’”
With the specter of Colony Collapse Disorder hanging over them, California’s bee keepers are hoping for a wet winter. More rain means more flowers and plants which provide more food for the bees.
KCBS’ Melissa Culross reports
“If they’ve got abundant food they can build up their largest populations. They’re the most robust, strongest bees you can get and therefore they’re more likely to repel some of these disease we think are a problem [for bees].”
A healthy bee population is very important for agriculture in the Golden State.
“We have at least 90 crops in California that rely upon honey bee pollination to produce a good crop yield.”
Almond, cherries, avocado, kiwis and cherries are among the many crops that rely on honeybees for pollination.
To find out more on Dr. Mussen’s research, visit his website at http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/faculty/facpage.cfm?id=mussen
(cfu)
