
Bee-friendly insecticides closer to reality after breakthrough development - ohjeez
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/insecticides-bee-friendly-not-hurt-crops-plants-development-a8072421.html
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mjpuser
I thought that colony collapse wasn't totally caused by pesticides, but mites
[1]. I'm not 100% sure why bees have been more susceptible to mites now,
though. Possibly because of some lack of diversity in the environment?

[1] [https://www.livescience.com/20815-honeybee-collapse-mite-
vir...](https://www.livescience.com/20815-honeybee-collapse-mite-virus.html)

~~~
sinab
"Like a teensy vampire, a Varroa mite attaches to the body of the bee and
sucks out its internal, bloodlike fluid. During this sucking, the mite passes
deformed wing virus (DWV) directly into its host's body. Once the bees start
to show the resulting deformation, they usually die within 48 hours."

Thats pretty nuts! But it seems like this might have been isolated to Hawaii
but possible in locations where varroa and deformed wing virus co-occur.
Though lack of biodiversity appears to make bees more susceptible to diseases
which lead to colony collapse disorder (CCD) [1].

[1]
[https://animals.howstuffworks.com/insects/bee8.htm](https://animals.howstuffworks.com/insects/bee8.htm)

