USDA Announces Ambitious Honey Bee Research Initiative

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced an ambitious research effort “to determine the prevalence of parasites and disease-causing microorganisms that may be contributing to the decline of honey bee colonies nationwide.” According to a June 7, 2010, news release, the agency’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Agricultural Research Service (ARS) will join Pennsylvania State University in surveying 350 apiaries across 13 states: Alabama, California, Georgia, Indiana, Florida, Hawaii, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Washington. Scientists will reportedly test the beehives for “specific pests and pathogens,” particularly a foreign mite of the genus Tropilaelaps.

Noting that beekeepers currently provide pollination services for more than 90 commercial crops, USDA has registered a precipitous decline in honey bee populations since the 1980s. Researchers have apparently blamed the decline on numerous factors that include colony collapse disorder as well as newly introduced pests and diseases caused by viruses, bacteria and fungi. The survey will help regulators “better understand the factors threatening our honey bees so we can take effective action to protect them and the crops that they pollinate,” stated USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack.