Beekeepers have always suffered losses of their domesticated bees but in the past those losses were slow-going and the beekeeper was always able to find the cause, usually a bacteria, mite or some other fungus and take serviceable action. Not so with colony collapse disorder, (sometimes called colony collapse syndrome or colony collapse disease). With colony collapse syndrome more bees are dying off faster with no evident reason and because only the queen and a few worker bees are left alive the colony dies.

The vanishing is still a mystery. As yet there has been no firm factual information to point to any one cause for their annihilation. This has led to the supposition that there is more than one cause to colony collapse disorder (CCD). Potential causes are:

Genetically modified crops

An investigation carried out by a beekeeper, John McDonald, seems to suggest that genetically modified crops could be the cause of colony collapse disorder. He placed eight honey bee colonies in an area where the domesticated bees would have no association with genetically modified crops and an equal number of bee hives on farms that grew GMO's. At the end of the season in October the results of the honey collecting of both sets of honey bees was examined. The results between the two sets of honey bee colonies were very disparate.

The 8 non-GMO bee colonies produced 150 pounds of honey, per bee hive, in the over-wintering brood supers. Plus, between them, the eight colonies produced 200 pounds of extra honey. The farm honey bees, on the other hand, had produced no extra honey and had not even packed the over-wintering brood supers. These farm honey bees will require feeding in order to survive the winter.

Pesticides

The pesticide believed to be the main culprit in causing colony collapse syndrome is nicotine-based Clothianidin, an insecticide in the neonicotinoid family. In Germany researchers found that 99 percent of expired bees had high levels of Clothianidin in their bodies. As a result the seven pesticides in the neonicotinoid family have been provisionally vetoed.

In the US imidacloprid seems to be the pesticide causing the most colony collapse disorder. For example in North Dakota one third of colonies died after imidacloprid was used on oil seed rape.

Mobile phones

Is the electromagnetic radiation given off by cell phones interfering with the honey bee's navigation system thus preventing the bees from finding their way back to the hive. Some investigation carried out by Dr Jochen Kuhn shows that honeybees do not like going back to their hives when a cell phone is situated near the bee hive. If bees are trying to flee from cell phone radiation then this could demonstrate why they are getting lost and unable to find their way home.

Sustenance

Honey bees normally use natural material like pollen, sap, nectar, or other botanical materials, for fabricating into honey. When beekeepers take away this honey, which the bees would normally eat over winter, and replace it with High Fructose Corn Syrup a natural raw foodstuff is being replaced with a highly processed dead food. HFCS is lacking in the many minerals and vitamins found in honey so the bees are forced to eat inferior sustenance which results in their poor health and devitalized immune systems.

So what is the cause of bee colony collapse disorder. Probably a combination of all of the above though GMOs, and the neonicotinoid pesticides, seem to be the main factors which has caused the dramatic increase in bees disappearing.

A Good Reason Why Paper Shredding Services Are Becoming More Popular And Needed Nowadays
There are services available for anything these days. I have heard of laundry services, house cleaning services, dog walking services, courier services, catering services, dating services, even financial services. Lately, there is a growing need for paper shredding services.

The Talent Of Model Making Is Something That Is Exceptionally Practical For Architecture Undertakings
I Have Always Loved Models. When I Was A Child, I Collected All Manner Of Them. I Had Model Airplanes, Cars, Boats, Trains - You Name It I Had It.

Just How You May Get Going In The Candle Making Enterprise
Candle making is quite a popular hobby these days and it is not hard to see why because it is productive but also a lot of fun.

Ways To Create A Business Plan Effectively To Achieve The Best
We all are well aware of the fact that good planning can save us a lot of productive time and help us in effectively executing all the tasks related to the accomplishment of our goals.

Fiscal Chance-Takers - How To Locate And Prospect Corporate Chance Takers
If you're involved in any type of multi-level, network merchandising program, home based business, or other type of direct sales program, then you're probably interested in building your business using business opportunity seekers.

An Overhead Projector: A Really Practical Teaching And Conferencing Tool Nowadays
With an overhead projector, as it is commonly known, you can display images onto a screen or wall clearly and without any errors. The overhead projector is in fact consisting of a large box which is attached with a cooling fan and an extremely bright light.

Projectors For Sale - Several Points To Get Great Deals
There are different kinds of projectors that are available in the category of projectors for sale. Overhead projectors for sale and LCD projectors are the two commonly used projectors for business and teaching purposes and home entertainment purposes respectively, whereas cinema projectors are used for projecting movies on to the screen.