I realize this might be a difficult claim to accept, especially if you are my wife, but there is some evidence that I was right. At least, there is evidence that I was right when I recently claimed that cell phones weren’t killing all the bees. Instead, a new theory is coming out saying that a deadly fungus may be causing Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). The scientists behind this thought have said this is very early preliminary information, and they don’t think they can say yet that the CCD issue has been solved. However, the idea looks to be gaining traction when you see reports from other scientists.
A fungus that caused widespread loss of bee colonies in Europe and Asia may be playing a crucial role in the mysterious phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder that is wiping out bees across the United States, UC San Francisco researchers said Wednesday.
. . .
But the results are “highly preliminary” and are from only a few hives from Le Grand in Merced County, UCSF biochemist Joe DeRisi said. “We don’t want to give anybody the impression that this thing has been solved.”
Other researchers said Wednesday that they too had found the fungus, a single-celled parasite called Nosema ceranae, in affected hives from around the country – as well as in some hives where bees had survived. Those researchers have also found two other fungi and half a dozen viruses in the dead bees.
N. ceranae is “one of many pathogens” in the bees, said entomologist Diana Cox-Foster of Pennsylvania State University. “By itself, it is probably not the culprit … but it may be one of the key players.”
There is still quite a bit of research to do to verify this, it seems. But as the article notes, other scientists are seeing this same fungus in the hives they are checking. And I would like to add that there is no evidence that I am right on anything else, nor evidence that I have ever been right before, nor evidence that I will ever be right again. Just in case you think maybe my wife should start giving me a little slack and listening when I say something.
[tags]Possible culprit found for disappearance of bees[/tags]