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?
"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].
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