Asian parasite killing Western bees
Spanish scientists claim to have found a very important clue behind Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), the mysterious problem beekeepers in many countries have been having.
According to this article in Reuters Spanish scientists have discovered a parasite common in Asian bees is now infecting bees in large parts of Europe and the Americas. Asian bees apparently have a high degree of natural resistance to this microscopic parasite, so it’s not normally a problem there.
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Very Interesting and disturbing
Nosema ceranae is around in Europe, and we don’t have CCD! The work done in Spain suggests that it’s very serious, work sone elsewhere suggests it isn’t. It seems that the spores aren’t persistent, unlike the familiar Nosema apis. That implies that it may well be easier to control. It’s too early to say whether it’s going to be a real problem or not.