Extensive research into the sudden decline of honey bee populations drew the same conclusions. The various studies all confirmed one thing: pesticides have been the root cause of the problem. Scientists blamed modern pesticides as the major cause of colony collapse disorder worldwide. The video below is just one of many that report the same or similar findings.
My Notes
New findings suggest that pesticides have only been a part of the problem, which contradicts all the earlier studies. The original research states pesticides as the sole cause of colony collapse disorder (CCD). There were two separate European studies that pointed to pesticides known as neonicotinoids. These, they thought, were the likely cause of the global collapse of apian colonies.
French scientists ran experiments too, this time with bees dosed on the bug killer. The bees carried miniature radio transmitters so that the scientists could track behavior. The results showed how the insecticide was affecting the bee's brain. What happened was that the bees seemed to lose their homing instinct. Any bee that can't find its way back to the hive is a lost bee to that colony.
A separate British study came up with yet other findings. Here they revealed how the neonicotinoids prevented bees from supplying their hives enough food to produce new queens.
As you can see, the scientific research blamed pesticides for CCD and neonicotinoids in particular. However, not everyone bought into this conclusion. And the new research will only strengthen the case of the naysayers.
New Findings into Colony Collapse Disorder
A new study was published on March 18, 2015 in the journal PLOS ONE. It looked carefully at the effects of a specific insecticide on honey bee colonies over a period of three years. This was a new field-based study which clearly shows that pesticides are not the sole cause of CCD. This has quashed all previous beliefs which state: The world's most commonly used insecticides significantly harm honey bee colonies. Now we know this is not the case. At least not at real-world dosage levels they don't harm bee colonies. And most bees are not exposed to extreme dosage levels.
The lead author of the study was Galen Dively. He's the emeritus professor of entomology at University of Maryland (UMD). Here's what he had to say on the topic:
“Everyone is pointing the finger at these insecticides. If you pull up a search on the Internet, that's practically all anyone is talking about. “This paper says no, it's not the sole cause. It contributes, but there is a bigger picture. It's a multifactorial issue, with lots of stress factors,” Dively said. “Honey bees have a lot of pests and diseases to deal with. Insecticide exposure is one factor among many. It's not the lone villain.”
You can read an abstract from the research paper below:
Assessment of Chronic Sublethal Effects of Imidacloprid on Honey Bee Colony Health
Galen P. Dively, Michael S. Embrey, Alaa Kamel, David J. Hawthorne, Jeffery S. Pettis
Published: March 18, 2015 | DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118748
For an easier read on these findings go here: Pesticides Not the Sole Culprit in Honey Bee Colony Declines |
Summary
The research above has proved that the original findings are only part of the picture. On the face of it, any new knowledge of CCD is a good thing. But as the new research has not drawn any new conclusions, that's not so good. The results merely indicate that insecticides are just one of many other factors triggering problems for the world’s honey bee populations. So now we're even further away from understanding the root cause or causes of CCD than we thought we were.