e360 digest

04 Jan 2012: Parasitic Fly May Be a Factor
In Honeybee Decline, New Study Says

U.S. scientists say a parasitic fly may be a factor in the mysterious “colony collapse disorder” that has caused a decline in honeybee populations worldwide. In a new study published in the journal PLoS ONE, researchers at the University of San Francisco suggest that the fly, Apocephalus borealis, lays its eggs in the abdomens of bees, causing the “zombie-like” bees to abandon their hives and congregate near bright lights. Within days, the newly hatched larvae push their way out, killing the bees. Earlier studies suggest that hive abandonment is a primary feature of so-called colony collapse disorder. While honeybee numbers have been declining for decades, the rate has accelerated in recent years, with U.S. populations plummeting 35 percent between 2006 and 2009 and significant die-offs occurring in Europe, China, and Japan. Scientists have cited numerous possible causes, including a decline in flowering plants, increased use of insecticides, honeybee-killing mites, and air pollution.

Yale Environment 360 is
a publication of the
Yale School of Forestry
& Environmental Studies.

SEARCH e360

CONNECT

Twitter: YaleE360
e360 on Facebook
Donate to e360
View mobile site
Bookmark
Share e360
Email newsletter
Subscribe to our feed:

ABOUT

About e360
Contact
Submission Guidelines
Reprints

e360 VIDEO

The Warriors of Qiugang, a Yale Environment 360 video that chronicles the story of a Chinese village’s fight against a polluting chemical plant, was nominated for a 2011 Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). Watch the video.

DEPARTMENTS

Opinion
Reports
Analysis
Interviews
e360 Digest
Video Reports

TOPICS

Biodiversity
Business & Innovation
Climate
Energy
Forests
Oceans
Policy & Politics
Pollution & Health
Science & Technology
Sustainability
Urbanization
Water

REGIONS

Antarctica and the Arctic
Africa
Asia
Australia
Central & South America
Europe
Middle East
North America

e360 VIDEO REPORT

As temperatures rise and water supplies dry up, tribes in East Africa increasingly are coming into conflict. A Yale Environment 360 video reports on a phenomenon that could become more common: how worsening drought will pit groups — and nations — against one another. Watch the video.

e360 MOBILE

The latest
from Yale
Environment 360 is now available for mobile devices at e360.yale.edu/mobile.



Top Image: aerial view of Iceland. © Google & TerraMetrics.

e360 VIDEO REPORT

Leveling Appalachia: The Legacy of Mountaintop Removal Mining, an e360 video examining the environmental and human impacts of this mining practice, won the award for best video in the 2010 National Magazine Awards for Digital Media. Watch the video.

OF INTEREST