[Pollinator] Daytona Beach News-Jornal: Honeybee decline focus of discussion

[Jennifer Tsang]

Thanks to Doug Holy for passing this article along:

 

Pollinators

(Florida) Honeybee decline focus of discussion 

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Enviro/bchNT04ENV09
1008.htm

 


Originally appeared on News-Journal Online at
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Enviro/bchNT04ENV09
1008.htm

| Print This Page <http://www.news-journalonline.com/scripts/printme.asp> 
| Close This Page <javascript:window.close();> 

September 10, 2008 

Honeybee decline focus of discussion 

By AARON LONDON 
Staff Writer 

It's not your imagination. There are fewer honeybees out there.

And while that might not seem to be that big of a deal, Jamie Ellis thinks
that's a big deal.

Ellis, an assistant professor of entomology at the University of Florida,
will discuss the reason the honeybee population is declining, not only in
Florida, but nationwide.

The lecture will be at the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience as part
of the lab's "Evenings at Whitney" program. The talk begins Thursday at 7
p.m. at the lab, 9505 Ocean Shore Blvd., St. Augustine.

"Honeybees are important for the production of food for humans," Ellis said.
"As such, the decline in honeybee populations could threaten food prices,
availability and quality."

The Florida Agricultural Museum in Palm Coast recently added beehives to the
property.

Marsha Chance, program coordinator at the museum, said there has been a very
strong interest in the beekeeping program.

"People have developed a really strong interest in beekeeping and bees
because of the Colony Collapse Disorder," she said.

In a research paper published by the University of Florida IFAS Extension,
Ellis outlined some of what is known about Colony Collapse Disorder.

"Beekeepers around the United States have reported higher-than-usual colony
losses since the fall of 2006," Ellis said in the paper. "In a country where
honey bees contribute billions of dollars in added revenue to the
agriculture industry, these bee losses cannot be taken lightly."

Ellis said it is possible that Colony Collapse Disorder is just a new name
for an old problem. "CCD may not be a new disorder," Ellis wrote. "In fact,
many colonies have died over the past 50-60 years displaying symptoms
similar to those of CCD. The disorder as described in older literature has
been called spring dwindle disease, fall dwindle disease, autumn collapse,
May disease and disappearing disease."

Research discussed by Ellis has defined the symptoms of colony collapse
disease as:

. Complete absence of adult bees in colonies, with few or no dead bees in or
around colonies

. The presence of "capped brood," where developing honeybees are sealed in
the hive cells with a semi-permeable wax membrane so they can mature into
adult bees during their final stage of development

. The presence of honey and bee bread that are not robbed by other bees or
typical colony pests.

Ellis said the cause of colony collapse disorder is still under
investigation. "At this point, every conceivable and realistic cause remains
a possibility," he said.

All lectures in the Evenings at Whitney series are fee and open to the
public. For more information or for a schedule of future lecturs, visit
whitney.ufl.edu or call the lab at 904-461-4000.

 <mailto:aaron.london at news-jrnl.com> aaron.london at news-jrnl.com

If you go

WHAT: Discussion on the decline of the honeybee, part of the "Evenings at
Whitney" program

WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday

WHERE: Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, 9505 Ocean Shore Blvd., St.
Augustine

  _____  

C 2008 News-Journal Corporation. R www.news-journalonline.com. Do not
republish or distribute without permission.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20080910/9a2b6798/attachment-0001.html>