The October 23, 2015 issue of the Apis Newsletter has been posted. The following is an excerpt discussing a novel emerging analysis of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).
It’s becoming clear that a relatively new dimension of the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) phenomenon is starting to emerge. Whereas most standard press release and “sky is falling” reporting focuses on honey bees, in most cases, it appears to be mostly about the decisions made by human beekeepers that really results in the huge colony losses reported now and again. Looking at CCD as a beekeeping management issue, rather than a significant honey bee health problem, although they are certainly related, allows us to see how the different aspects of any proposed broad-brush solution can be affected by beekeeping practice. A recent article sums it up nicely :
“Tim Tucker, president of the American Beekeeping Federation recently said ‘It’s not the bees that are in jeopardy…I believe we’ll always have bees. [But] unless things change, what’s in jeopardy is the commercial beekeeping industry.” University of Maryland bee researcher Dennis van Englesdrop (sic) echoed the sentiment: ‘We’re not worried about the bees going extinct. We’re worried about the beekeepers going extinct.’”
