Colony Collapse Disorder

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News Articles and Resources

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is the name that has been given to the latest, and what seems to be the most serious, die-off of honey bee colonies across the country. It is characterized by, sudden colony death with a lack of adult bees in/in front of the dead-outs. Honey and bee bread are usually present and there is often evidence of recent brood rearing. In some cases, the queen and a small number of survivor bees may be present in the brood nest. It is also characterized by delayed robbing and slower than normal invasion by common pests such as wax moth and small hive beetles.

Colony Collapse Disorder, Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium

American Bee Journal Article - "An Estimate of Managed Colony Losses in the Winter of 2006 - 2007: A Report Commissioned by the Apiary Inspectors of America by Dennis vanEngelsdorp, Robyn Underwood, Dewey Caron, Jerry Hayes, Jr. (5/17/2007)

Colony Collapse Disorder: Have We Seen This Before? by Robyn M. Underwood & Dennis vanEngelsdorp (5/17/2007)

"Please Lord, not the bees" by Peter Dearman, News Report - OpEdNews.com - (5/17/2007)

CCD Working Group Pathogen Sub-Group Progress Report (PDF)(5/12/2007)

Bee Deaths, Loss of Navigation Cause Concern. NPR interview with Dr. May Berenbaum, Head of the Entomology Department at University of Illinois (5/3/2007)

Honeybee Die-Off Threatens Food Supply by Seth Borenstein, The Associated Press (5/2/2007)

Testimony by Diana Cox-Foster (PDF) before U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture (3/28/2007)

Recent Honey Bee Colony Decline (PDF), Congressional Research Service Report for Congress - (3/27/2007)

Summary of Research on the Non-target Effects of Bt Corn Pollen on Honeybees (PDF) by Galen Dively, Univ. of Maryland. (3/28/2007)

Map of U.S. States Reporting Colony Collapse Disorder (PDF)

CCD Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (PDF) (3/2007)

Tentative Recommendations for Hives Experiencing CCD (PDF) (3/9/2007)

CCD Podcast: listen online by selecting "Browse all of Honey Bees in Crisis", and then click on "Colony Collapse Disorder".

Information for growers of bee pollinated crops

Protecting Honey Bees from Chemical Pesticides (4/23/2007)

Information for Growers of Bee Pollinated Crops (4/23/2007)