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A survey of beekeepers early in 2007 indicated most hobbyist beekeepers believed that starvation was the leading cause of death in their colonies, while commercial beekeepers overwhelmingly believed invertebrate pests (Varroa mites, honey bee tracheal mites, and/or small hive beetles) were the leading cause of colony mortality. [52]
The kill rate of bees in a single bee hive can be classified as: [19] < 100 bees per day – normal die off rate 200–400 bees per day – low kill 500–900 bees per day – moderate kill 1000+ bees per day – high kill
The picture for domesticated pollinator species is less clear. Although the number of managed honey bee colonies in Europe and North America declined by 25% and 59% between 1985-2005 and 1947-2005 respectively, overall global stocks increased due to major hive number increases in countries such as China and Argentina.
Varroa destructor, the Varroa mite, is an external parasitic mite that attacks and feeds on honey bees and is one of the most damaging honey bee pests in the world. [2] [3] A significant mite infestation leads to the death of a honey bee colony, usually in the late autumn through early spring.
Honey bees live in hives with thousands of other bees containing anywhere from 20,000 to 80,000 members. Each colony has one queen , and they protect and follow her.
The second mechanism is through close contact between bees in the hive. Worker bees are the most susceptible to infection, since they travel the hive most frequently. The infection may spread between hives as a result of indirect contact or direct contact between honey bees. [11]
In 1996, a similar type of organism to N. apis was discovered on the Asian honey bee Apis cerana and subsequently named N. ceranae. This parasite apparently also infects the western honey bee. [17] Exposure to corn pollen containing genes for Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) production may weaken the bees' defense against Nosema. [18]
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