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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><EM>Thanks to Peter Kevan for sending this to the NAPPC Listserv. It will appear in HiveLights, the magazine of the Canadian Honey Council.</EM></FONT></B></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=center><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><B><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT></B></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=center><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><B><FONT face="Times New Roman">Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in Canada: <o:p></o:p></FONT></B></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=center><B><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><FONT face="Times New Roman">Do we have a problem?<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><B><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><FONT size=3><B><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><FONT face="Times New Roman">Peter G. Kevan</FONT></SPAN></B><B><SUP><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New (W1)'; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA">1</SPAN></SUP></B><B><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><FONT face="Times New Roman">, Ernesto Guzman</FONT></SPAN></B><B><SUP><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New (W1)'; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA">1</SPAN></SUP></B><B><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><FONT face="Times New Roman">, Alison Skinner</FONT></SPAN></B><B><SUP><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New (W1)'; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA">2</SPAN></SUP></B><B><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><FONT face="Times New Roman">, and Dennis van Englesdorp</FONT></SPAN></B><B><SUP><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New (W1)'; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA">3<o:p></o:p></SPAN></SUP></B></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: 0in list .5in left 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" align=left><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-list: Ignore"><FONT size=3>1.</FONT><SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><FONT size=3>Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: 0in list .5in left 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" align=left><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-list: Ignore"><FONT size=3>2.</FONT><SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><FONT size=3>Technology Transfer Specialist, Ontario Beekeepers’ Association, Orchard Park Office Centre, 5420 Highway 6, Guelph, ON N1H 6J2<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA">3. Acting State Apiarist for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, </SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial (W1)'">2301 N Cameron <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>St., Harrisburg, PA 17110, USA<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA">Colony Collapse Disorder (also known by several other names) has become a plague in throughout the United States.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Major losses in colonies have been reported from all states that have reported (</SPAN><A href="res://C:\Program%20Files\America%20Online%209.0\resource.dll/(http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/)."><SPAN class=SYSHYPERTEXT><SPAN lang=EN-CA>http://maarec.cas.psu.edu</SPAN></SPAN></A><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA">) as of 26 February, 2007.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In Canada, where winter losses are commonly problematic, no instances of CCD have been confirmed, at least so far. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But, very recent reports are of suspicious losses having been experienced in Ontario and Saskatchewan.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Should Canadian beekeepers be concerned?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Does Canadian beekeeping provide insights into CCD?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>Let’s first look at the information that the CCD Working Group in the USA has provided (</SPAN><A href="res://C:\Program%20Files\America%20Online%209.0\resource.dll/(http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/)."><SPAN class=SYSHYPERTEXT><SPAN lang=EN-CA>http://maarec.cas.psu.edu</SPAN></SPAN></A><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA">).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>The symptoms of a CCD collapsed colony are no adult bees and no corpses, presence of capped brood, presence of both honey and pollen (bee-bread) stores.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>A collapsing colony shows too small a workforce for colony maintenance and that workforce is made up of young bees, and the bee cluster seems reluctant to feed on either stored honey or pollen.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>One of the most peculiar of symptoms is the lack of robbing behaviour of surviving colonies of colonies that have died out. What is going on?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Strange symptoms indeed!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>The CCD Working Group concludes that “stress” is a major contributor to the condition, and they itemize a number of stresses that are likely involved.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In particular, they mention that migratory beekeeping practices are stressful to the bees.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The reasons suggested are confinement and temperature fluctuations during transport.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Certainly, added to those reasons are the mechanical vibrations and shocks that colonies on trucks experience, which, when protracted over several days’ duration would be upsetting to the bees.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Confinement itself would cause the air within the hives to become stale, with higher than usual levels of Carbon dioxide (CO<SUB>2</SUB>) and moisture.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Even moving colonies short distances for pollination or honey production is well known to cause the bees to become upset, so moves taking days and over thousands of kilometres would be expected to be stressful on the bees, as well as on the beekeepers. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>Rapid movement of colonies of bees across the USA may cause “jet-lag”.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Yes, bees to sleep and do have regular daily rhythms of activity (just as do people) (Kaiser 1988; Sauer et al. 2003, 2004; Zhang et al. 2006), so one can suggest that a colony of bees being whipped across two or three time zones in a quick move would be subject to some stress.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>Migratory beekeeping involves the packing of large numbers of colonies onto the backs of trucks.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>There, the colonies are un-naturally close together.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The CCD Working Group acknowledges that when the bees cluster on the outsides of hives packed as truckloads, mingling of bees between the hives would occur.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The bees’ defecation on the outside of the hives would increase rates of transmission of pathogens. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>That transport in and of itself causes colony death and the CCD Working Group reports that 10% to 30% losses are “not uncommon” as a result of moving colonies for pollination.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>With such losses, migratory beekeepers make splits to compensate for the losses.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Working Group notes that the reuse of equipment from hives that have died out is part of the transfer of diseases and chemical contaminants and may contribute to the problem.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They also point out that making splits changes the age structure of the colonies being split, and results in an un-natural age structure of bees in the split itself.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Thus, the ratio of young, nurse workers to older foragers becomes imbalanced, further stressing the colonies. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>Although migratory beekeepers seem to have suffered badly, reports of CCD are not confined to their operations. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>Other stresses noted by the CCD Working Group are overcrowded apiaries, nutritional stress, drought and contaminated water, use of antibiotics and chemical pesticides (within and outside the hive) and, of course, mite parasitosis.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>Overcrowded apiaries are commonly part of migratory beekeeping, especially for pollination services.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The “staging apiaries” where hundreds of hives are placed cheek-by-jowl are not healthy for the bees.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Often there is not enough food within the flight ranges of the foragers, robbing is commonplace (and would lead to disease transmission), and hives weaken despite the efforts of the beekeepers to provide food (pollen or pollen substitute and syrup).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>Nutritional stress is not really addressed by the Working Group, but several points are worth mentioning.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Honeybee colonies used for pollination services on large monocultures, such as almonds, blueberries, alfalfa are placed in environments where little or no food choice is available to them.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It is known that a diverse diet of a mixture of pollens from different plant sources is beneficial to bees, and the same would be true for nectar (Schmidt <I>et al.</I> 1987, 1995).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Thus, nutritional imbalance could explain, in part, some of the observed symptoms.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Moreover, the situation for almonds is complicated by the potential toxicity of pollen and nectar from almond flowers (Kevan and Ebert 2005), especially perhaps in large quantity and for prolonged durations.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>Pollen or pollen substitutes fed to the colonies, although not generally used by the beekeepers surveyed by the CCD Working Group, may offer some relief to migratory beekeeping and the potential problems that could result from prolonged use of colonies on a single crop, but care must be taken.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Pollen can be a route for transmission of diseases, so only properly treated and sterilized pollen should be used.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Pollen substitutes that use soy flour as the main source of protein are not as well accepted, nor as nutritious, as pollen substitutes that avoid the use of soy flour (Saffari <I>et al.</I> 2004).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Some soy flours seem to contain anti-feedant compounds that detract from their palatability to honeybees.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>The problems that mite parasitosis pose to beekeeping are the same in Canada as in the USA.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Varroa infestations have lethal consequences, and must be kept in check.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Although varroa is recognized as the major problem, tracheal mites are still very much around.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Their presence in the breathing tubes of honeybees has been proven to cause respiratory distress (Harrison <I>et al.</I> 2001; Skinner 2000). Associated with varroa infestations is a complex of viral infections (Kevan <I>et al.</I> 2006).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The report of the CCD Working Group includes information on the incidences of various diseases in samples that they examined, but it is too early to conclude cause and effect.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>The Working Group also considered pesticide contamination, notably the neonicotinoids (which includes imidacloprid, notorious for its implications in “mad bee disease” (also a colony decline condition), clothianiden, and thiamethoxam).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In general, these insecticides are well known to be highly toxic to honeybees, to be highly persistent in the environment, and translocatable in plants and into pollen and nectar.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>These compounds are becoming increasingly widely used, sometimes on crops for which honeybees are used for pollination.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They are inadequately tested for their hazards to pollinators, even honeybees.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Sub-lethal effects of imidacloprid include impairment of memory, and inability to remember (Decourtye <I>et al.</I> 2004); both important to bees that need to forage far from home and find their way back!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>Then, what about the chemical and antibiotic cocktails that beekeepers themselves are using in their hives?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>A chemical pesticide is a poison and the trick in the use of poisons is to differentially kill the pest while not killing the host.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>That is the basis for pharmacology and administering the right dose.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Too much, and the host becomes debilitated, at the least, and may even die, along with the pest.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>‘The operation was successful, but the patient died!’<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>The autopsies made by members of the CCD Working Group revealed a number of anomalies and infections, but the data are too preliminary to allow for conclusions about symptoms, effects, and causes.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>All in all, it seems that a broad suite of stresses is taking its toll on US honeybees.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Are various combinations of stresses resulting in a set of similar symptoms across the country?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Stress in general increases human susceptibility to illness, and the same idea applies to honeybees.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Stressed, their capacity to ward of primary infections of the well-known suite of larval and adult diseases (Morse and Nowogrodski (editors) 2000) is reduced.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Moreover, stressed, their capacity to fight secondary infections, such as of viruses associated with varroa (Kevan <I>et al.</I> 2006) is lessened.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Stress, immunocompromization, and unusually serious infections by common pathogens and/or otherwise and usually benign organisms, seem to have combined to produce this devastating condition, CCD.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>Although there is no presently confirmed evidence for the same condition’s occurrence in Canada, complacency is not recommended.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In Canada, we can be proud that Canadian beekeeping seems to be a gentler practice than in the USA, especially when it comes to the major commercial operations there.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Canadian beekeepers, by and large, seem to use fewer chemical and antibiotic control agents against pests and diseases than do their US counter parts, and those that are used are applied more conservatively.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Migratory beekeeping for pollination services is not so much a part of commercial beekeeping in Canada as it is in the USA, and where it is practised in Canada, the moves are shorter and fewer.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Nevertheless, vigilance is required.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Beekeeping in Canada and the USA share too many similarities for Canadians to dismiss the problem out of hand.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Some reports of higher than expected winter losses are now coming to the attention of the industry, and CCD can not be eliminated as being involved.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>In Canada, we may be lucky.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We may not.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Whatever happens this spring as Canadian beekeepers open their hives, an international effort can work to the benefit of beekeeping continentally.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It seems that the industry in the USA will require a major influx of support and funding to rebuild. If Canadian beekeepers do not encounter CCD, the differences between the two countries may provide insights that could help understand, solve, and prevent repetition of the problem.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>If Canadian beekeepers do encounter CCD, then there is advanced warning from neighbours to the south, and collaboration will be the order of the day.</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><B><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA">References</SPAN></B><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA">Decourtye A., Devillers J., Cluzeau S., Charreton M., Pham-Delegue M. H. 2004. Effects of imidacloprid and deltamethrin on associative learning in honeybees under semi-field and laboratory conditions. <I>Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety</I> 57: 410 - 419.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA">Harrison J.F., Camazine S., Marden J.H., Kirkton, S. D., Rozo A., Yang X. 2001. Mite not make it home: Tracheal mites reduce the safety margin for oxygen delivery of flying honeybees. <I>Journal of Experimental Biology</I> 204: 805 - 814. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA">Kaiser, W. 1988.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Busy bees need rest, too – Behavioral and electromyographical sleep signs in honeybees.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><I>Journal of Comparative Physiology A </I>163: 565-584.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA">Kevan P.G., Ebert T. 2005. Can almond nectar & pollen poison honey bees? <I>American Bee Journal </I>145: 507-509.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA">Kevan P. G., Hannan M. A., Ostiguy N., Guzman, E. 2006. A summary of the Varroa-virus disease complex in honeybees.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><I>American Bee Journal </I>146: 694 - 697.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: 0in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in" align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><BR style="PAGE-BREAK-BEFORE: always; mso-break-type: section-break" clear=all></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA">Morse R. A., Nowogrodzki R. (editors). 2000. Honey bee pests, predators, and diseases. Comstock Pub., Cornell University Press, 2nd ed. 474 p.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA">Saffari, A. M., Kevan, P. G., Atkinson, J. L. 2004. A promising pollen substitute for honey bees.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN><I>American Bee Journal</I>144: 230 - 231. Also see:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/articles/A%20promising%20pollen%20substitute.htm <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=left><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: 0in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in" align=left></FONT></o:p></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">(Complete text of the article is attached to this email) </SPAN></FONT></FONT><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#004000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="12">Laurie Davies Adams<BR>Executive Director<BR>Coevolution Institute<BR>423 Washington St. 5th<BR>San Francisco, CA 94111<BR>415 362 1137<BR>LDA@coevolution.org<BR><A title=http://www.coevolution.org/ href="http://www.coevolution.org/">http://www.coevolution.org/</A></FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#004000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="12"><BR><A title=http://www.pollinator.org/ href="http://www.pollinator.org/">http://www.pollinator.org/</A></FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#004000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="12"><BR><A title=http://www.nappc.org/ href="http://www.nappc.org/">http://www.nappc.org/</A></FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#004000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="12"><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10">Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week: June 24-30, 2007. Contact us <BR>for more information at www.pollinator.org </FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#004000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="12"><BR><BR><B><I>Our future flies on the wings of pollinators.</B></I></FONT></DIV><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">See what's free at <A title="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503" href="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503" target="_blank">AOL.com</A>. </FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>