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Politics : Ask Michael Burke -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Knighty Tin who wrote (107554)	4/26/2007 10:50:09 PM
From: Pogeu Mahone	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 132070

Scientists release preliminary findings of dying bee research The Associated Press Article Launched: 04/26/2007 10:19:26 AM PDT SAN FRANCISCO- A fungus that killed bee colonies across Europe and Asia may be to blame for the current collapse of bee colonies in the U.S. and Canada, researchers said. The sudden deaths of the buzzing insects, a condition called Colony Collapse Disorder, has disturbed beekeepers, scientists and farmers who depend on bees for pollination. The "highly preliminary" results announced Wednesday showed evidence of the single-celled parasite called Nosema ceranae on a few hives taken from Merced County for testing, said Joe DeRisi, a biochemist at the University of California, San Francisco, who found the SARS virus in 2003. DeRisi used a technique known as "shotgun sequencing," that allows rapid reading of a genetic code and then matches it to computerized libraries of known genes from thousands of germs. Other scientists said Wednesday they had found the fungus in hives from around the country but were quick to point out the parasite also was found in healthy bees. Researchers found two other fungi and a half- dozen viruses in dead bees. "By itself, (N. ceranae) is probably not the culprit," said entomologist Diana Cox-Foster of Pennsylvania State University. "But it may be one of the key players." Cox-Foster and about 60 other researchers gathered this week in Washington, D.C., to discuss Colony Collapse Disorder. Scientists have not ruled out other factors such as pesticides or inadequate food resources following a drought, -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Advertisement -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- she said. Weather, pesticides and infestations have wiped out significant numbers of colonies in the past, but the current loss appears unprecedented. Worried agriculture officials estimate about a quarter of the 2.4 million commercial colonies across the U.S. have been lost since fall. RePrintPrint Email Return to Top