Everybody loves bees, and so do we. Bees pollinate our plants so that we can grow food, they fulfil a valuable role in ecosystems – they even make honey. As a species, the honey bee is suffering a reported global decline in population, a phenomenon termed ‘Colony Collapse Disorder‘ (CCD). The disappearance of honey bees is an issue that receives regular media attention – coverage that all too often feeds speculation and fails to deliver fact.

CCD is a problem; bees are a major contributor to the pollination of the plants that feed us. The world will have around 9 billion mouths to feed by the year 2050 – you don’t need to be a scientist or mathematician to realise that the sum of less food plus 2 billion extra mouths is an equation that does not balance in our favour.

Scientists and researchers continue to investigate the cause(s) of CCD, and many theories have been presented.Parasitic mites, pesticides and climate change are among some of the more frequently cited causes of CCD.

Some also suggest that bees are disappearing as a result of poor handling. Did you know that bees are commercially farmed? The commercial bee industry is worth an estimated 2.6 billion EURO and is quoted as being responsible for the pollination of 14 billion USD of seeds and crops in the US alone. There are an estimated 2.4 million bee colonies shipped around the US for commercial pollination – impressive numbers.

We cover CCD on this blog because of the frequent links made between the use of certain pesticides, and the disappearance of bees. Below we offer another round-up of recent online coverage of CCD, and in the spirit of encouraging debate, the search for facts, and seeing the whole truth, we present a range of opinions on the causes of CCD.

• Greenish pesticides bee-devil honey makers
• Bees and pesticides
• Researchers seek ’super’ bee cure for a deadly disorder
• Vitamin Bee (deserving of a special mention for it’s fantastic title)
• Bouquet for busy bee Mary after stinging Dail attacks
• Climate change linked to death of 90% of Vancouver Island honey bee population
• Ontario’s major bee losses blamed on varroa

If you have additional news to share, or you want to bee part of the debate, drop us a line below. Maybe you think CCD is not real, or perhaps exaggerated – maybe you have an entirely different view on the subject. Let us know.

As promised, here’s a summary of various reports and comments we’ve found online recently discussing the disappearance of honey bees in Europe and America.

• Hopes rise in puzzle of dying bees (Delaware Online)http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20090309/NEWS/903090314
• Don’t blame amateur keepers for declining bees (Guardian.co.uk)http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/mar/05/beekeepers-endangered-bees
• ‘No proof’ of bee killer theory (BBC)
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7925397.stm
• Haagen-Dazs makes second gift for honeybee research and education (Penn State University)http://live.psu.edu/story/37918

BBC have produced a series of video reports recently on honey bees which you’ll find below.

• Amazing Facts about honey bees
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7925218.stm
• Putting the varroa mite under the microscope
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7925591.stm
• Beekeeper on losing his colony
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7925399.stm
• Bee mystery in Italy
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7613786.stm