Honeybees under siege

The summer fields of white clover are for the most part missing a vital component-the honeybee.

The honeybee population has been ravaged by what is known as Complete Collapse Disorder (CCD) since 2007 and their numbers have greatly decreased, said Paul Poling, apiary specialist for the West Virginia Department of Agriculture.

Only about 10% of the wild honeybee population is left and beyond that just the hives that beekeepers raise remain, Poling said. However, West Virginia hasn’t suffered the kinds of honeybee losses that some neighboring states like Virginia have.

Last year there was a good nectar flow in July and August, he noted. The bees do quite well against Colony Collapse Disorder when there is good nutrition available. There are higher losses to the disease with a lack of good food sources.

Cause of disorder
Latest research cited in a BBC News article that Poling shared shows that the disorder seems to be caused by the simultaneous presence of the fungus Nosema cerenae and a family of RNA viruses that attack the honeybees’ immune systems and infest the nest.

The fungus is spread in the nest by bee feces and the viruses are spread by a parasitic mite. Honeybees are a tropical insect and it doesn’t take much to get their hives to collapse over the winter, Poling said.

Honeybees are trucked around to different locations to pollinate crops. The trucking is also hard on colonies because it doesn’t provide as good a diet for them and some bee losses occur due to the transport, Poling said.

Bees do well on crops like almonds and apples, but don’t fare as well on cranberries, blueberries, squash, cucumbers and pumpkins, he said.

The Department of Agriculture has done a lot of work to help beekeepers combat the Colony Collapse Disorder by providing bees with syrup, medication and information on how to use them.

The assistance by the Legislature and grant programs has helped decrease the losses from the disorder, Poling said. However, assistance money is no longer available for supplemental feeding or medication.

Hope for recovery
There is hope for recovery of the honeybee population from the disorder, Poling said. Some are supplementing their colonies’ diet with more pollen and nectar resources in autumn. Others are feeding the bees more proteins. Breeding honeybees that are resistant to mites, viruses and the disorder is being pursued.

The Department of Agriculture is available to help beekeepers with colony health inspections, sample testing, recommending treatments for diseased or infested colonies, quarantining diseased hives and providing information on what beekeepers can do to keep their bees healthy.

For more information
Poling encouraged area beekeepers to register with the state. It’s a fascinating hobby and of great importance to gardeners, he said.

There are nine beekeepers, 12 locations and 61 honeybee colonies in Morgan County that are registered with the state Department of Agriculture, Poling said.

West Virginia has 1,046 registered beekeepers with 1,626 locations and 12,349 colonies. Many are located in Kanawha County.

For more information, contact Poling through the West Virginia Department of Agriculture at 304-558-3550.