In a study published in the new journal from the Society for Applied Microbiology: Environmental Microbiology Reports, scientists from Spain analysed two apiaries and found evidence of honey bee colony depopulation syndrome, also known as colony collapse disorder (CCD) in the USA.

They found no evidence of any other cause of the disease (such as the Varroa destructor, IAPV or pesticides) other than infection with Nosema ceranae.  The  researchers then treated the infected surviving under-populated colonies with the antibiotic drug, flumagillin and demonstrated complete recovery of all infected colonies.

The loss of honey bees could have an enormous horticultural and economic impact worldwide as important pollinators of crops, fruit and wild flowers and are indispensable for a sustainable and profitable agriculture as well as for the maintenance of the non-agricultural ecosystem.

Honeybees are susceptible to numerous pathogens including viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites and insects. For most of the diseases, molecular pathogenesis is poorly understood, hampering the development of new ways to prevent and combat honeybee diseases.

Any progress made in identifying causes and subsequent treatments of honey bee colony collapse is invaluable. There have been other hypothesis for colony collapse in Europe and the USA, but this appears not to have   been identified as the primary cause in professional apiaries.

“Now that we know one strain of parasite that could be responsible, we can look for signs of infection and treat any infected colonies before the infection spreads” said Dr M Higes, principle researcher and co-author of 14 bee and honey research papers. The finding could help prevent the continual decline in honey bee population which has recently been seen in Europe and the USA.

US also sees pesticide build-up
The work is in slight contrast to some US views as the findings of  Steve Sheppard entomologist (right) of Washington State University, who has said that pesticides can accumulate in hive wax and reach a concentration that over time harms the bees.

Sheppard directs the Apis Molecular Systematics Laboratory at WSU. He was a member of the Honey Bee Genome Project, an international consortium of scientists that in 2008  published the complete DNA sequence of the honey bee, Apis mellifera.

Rooftop bees graze in Mayfair
Gberlunzie long been aware of the hives once on the rooftops of Fleet Street making use of the Inns of Court lime trees finds that now Fortnum's has installed its Carniolan  bees (right) noted for their sweet nature, on the roof of 181 Picadilly with its first batch of Fortnum's rooftop honey expected to be unusually fine, thanks to the wide variety of flora in the immediate vicinity, as well as pollen from numerous chestnut and lime trees.

Scotland's bumble bee reserve
Bumble Bee Conservation Trust ( at theSchool of Biological & Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling) does an immense amount of valuable work at
the RSPB Vane Farm bumblebee reserve in Scotland, believed a world first.There are around 250 different species of bees in the UK including 25 bumblebees, ( 3 species are extinct and a dramatic declines experienced by 9 others) honeybees and numerous small solitary species.

Several people at the Reserve last year reported seeing the rare and beautiful Blaeberry bumblebee (right) on the meadow last year, when it seems the meadow tempted them down to the valley bottom! One arrival, the Tree Bumblebee (left)(B. hypnorum) species arrived about 6 years ago from France, and is gradually spreading north. It is a very distinctive looking bee.

Apis Molecular Systematics Laboratory
Fortnum roof top bees
Bumblebee Conservation Trust
RSPB Vane Farm
Compute Scotland