Observers have discovered that “worker bees have mysteriously flown off and never returned to their hives” — a phenomenon, they have dubbed, “Colony Collapse Disorder.”
This is a problem because a great deal of what we consume each day is the result of pollination services provided by the western honey bee.
Recent findings published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science and cited in a Discover Magazine article, “Honey May Be Bees’ Best Medicine for Colony Collapse Disorder” by Breanna Draxler, may have solved the conundrum.
Regarding the problem, the article explains, “Scientists are stumped. Some blame malnutrition. Others point fingers at pathogens. Perhaps it’s pesticides. New research has identified a particular chemical in pollen that may finally provide an answer.”
The article continues by saying that researchers have identified that chemicals and insecticides which the bees encounter while making their nectar collecting rounds are killing them. Further, that a handful of chemicals can boost certain “detoxifying genes” which are the natural defenses of the bees but that bees which are “raised in commercial colonies don’t get enough of them.”
Why?
Well, “Wild bees are normally raised on honey, so there is no shortage of p-coumaric acid” (the stuff that helps the bees defend themselves) in their diets. “But commercial colonies raised for agricultural pollination aren’t so lucky. To cut costs, many bee keepers harvest and sell the honey their bees produce and instead feed the growing bee babies high fructose corn syrup or other sweeteners. While nutritionally comparable, the researchers say these sugars lack essential chemicals like p-coumaric acid.”
The solution? Bees shouldn’t do it! That is, they should not eat high fructose corn syrup... and YOU Shouldn't Either!
Go here for the story.
