Misha asked if I was here. Well, I am, lurking quietly in the shadows of this listserv.
To be honest, I don't follow every turn of the CCD story. I don't consider myself a honey bee expert, and as an organization, The Xerces Society doesn't work on honey bee conservation. The focus of our pollinator conservation efforts has been native pollinators, promoting protection of them and the creation of habitat for them. Of course, native bees and honey bees share a lot of territory and habitat needs, so much of the work we do to encourage habitat creation/restoration projects, reduce the impacts of pesticides, and support legislation benefits all bees. It just that we don't specifically work on honey bees.
That said, I have followed the general flow of the CCD debate. I doubt that CCD has a single cause. My feeling is that there may be a number of factors -- pesticides included -- that have combined to the drastic results that we've witnessed. There also seems to be a trend that CCD mainly affects migratory hives, so it's possible that stress from this lifestyle may be a contributing factor that makes the bees more susceptible.
Apart from that, I have little to say. The team of scientists investigating CCD contains huge knowledge and experience, far beyond anything I have on honey bees. These folks are the true experts. If anyone can work it out, they are the ones to do it.
There are also alternative views and opinions, as there should be in any worthwhile debate, and some dubious information and reporting -- blaming it all on cell phones being one example. Some people say this is just one more dip in the cycle of bee populations, that CCD is just the latest name for what has happened before, and that honey bees recovered in the past so why all the fuss this time? Personally, I think that CCD is something serious and we need to find out what has caused it. Unfortunately, this will take some time, probably too much time from the perspective of a beekeeper who has lost half or more of his or her hives.
The honey bee will remain the most important pollinator of crops. Yes, native bees can make a great contribution, but it does have to be in the right place, a farm that contains or is close to adequate habitat. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the farms of many SANET readers are more likely to support strong native bee populations. But for many (most?) farmers, the scale of their operations and the farming methods mean that the honey bee, with its ability to be trucked in and placed in the crop for a limited period, will remain the principal pollinator.
As a foot note, the California almonds got their bees, as have orchards elsewhere across the West and elsewhere. So, let's find out what's cause the losses of honey bees and work to make the environment safer and better for all bees, but also let's not forget that while the media hoopla was raging and "crisis" was yelled, it appears that crops have been pollinated.
Matthew
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*The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation*
The Xerces Society is an international nonprofit organization that
protects the diversity of life through invertebrate conservation. To
join the Society, make a contribution, or read about our work,
please visit www.xerces.org <http://www.xerces.org/>.
Matthew Shepherd
Director, Pollinator Conservation Program
4828 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland, OR 97215, USA
Tel: 503-232 6639 Cell: 503-807 1577 Fax: 503-233 6794
Email: mdshepherd@xerces.org <mailto:mdshepherd@xerces.org>
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