Honey bees are in the mainstream news again, in Saturday’s issue of The Globe and Mail, with Is the bee virus bunk? — science writer Andrew Nikiforuk’s report on Mark Winston and the state of beekeeping.

BIOLOGY: HOW AGRICULTURE IS PUTTING POLLINATORS IN DANGER:
Is the bee virus bunk?

Last year, after three decades among the hives, Mark Winston closed both his apiary and his Simon Fraser University bee research lab. With several books to his credit, and many articles on bee biology, Winston was well established as one of the world’s leading authorities on honey bees. News of his retirement, a measure perhaps of a deep frustration with “the state of bee farming,” was received by many Canadian beekeepers with a sense of loss.

Winston continues to study the insects that have been his life’s work, however, and warns that the real crisis still lies ahead for apiculture.

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Yanping Chen and Jay D. Evans of the USDA-ARS Bee Research Laboratory have been screening many older (pre-CCD, pre-Australian import) honey bees, and were surprised by the results. It became apparent through their work that Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) is not new to North America.

Abstract:
High bee colony losses in the United States this past year can be attributed in part to an unresolved syndrome termed Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). An extensive genetic survey found one virus, Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV), to be strongly associated with CCD. Using DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analyses, we provide evidence that IAPV was present in U.S. bees collected several years prior to CCD, and prior to the recent importation into the U.S. of honey bees from Australia and New Zealand. While downplaying the importance of bee importation for the appearance of CCD, these results indicate an urgent need to test specific strains of IAPV for their disease impacts.

Originally it was believed that the virus may have been imported into the USA with shipments of bees from Australia. However, it now appears that IAPV has been in the United States since at least 2002, and is in approximately 10% of bees. According to the researchers, IAPV remains a strong candidate, however, due to “the near complete association with CCD in the previous surveys.”

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The Southern New England Beekeepers Assembly (SNEBA 007) will take place on 17 November 2007 in Hamden, Connecticut, USA.

SNEBA 2007
Saturday, 17 November 2007
8:30am – 5:00pm
Unitarian Society of New Haven
700 Hartford Turnpike,
Hamden, Connecticut 06517

The theme for the meeting will be Colony Health. A full day’s program has been planned, with special guest speakers:

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