Small can be deadly too - There are two news items this morning that try to shed light on the Colony Collapse Disorder affecting beehives worldwide.
Gulf Weekly reports that some scientists think the problem may be a tiny parasite attacking the bees.
In April, Californian investigators said a single-celled parasite, Nosema ceranae, might be to blame. Other researchers say the fungus indicated a suppressed immune system.
Canada's CBCNews also reports that the parasite has recently been found in the Canadian beehives and is being considered as a source of CCD. But there is a but:
However Agriculture Canada's leading bee scientist, Steve Pernal, is taking the sting out of that theory.
Pernal says although this parasite has just been identified in Canadian hives, evidence from frozen bee samples in the U.S. shows it's been there since the 1990s.
"If it's been around that long, and if it is such a big problem, I think we would have encountered it before."
So I guess the jury is still out on the cause.
