Hi all,
I had the following news story sent to me yesterday. This was the first I'd heard of a bacteria wiping out hives in western Washington. Does anyone on this list have any more information or insight?
Thanks,
Matthew
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Deadly bacteria threatens Western Washington bees
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_040908WAB_bee_vaccination_KS.4ab75471.html
07:17 PM PDT on Wednesday, April 9, 2008
By GARY CHITTIM / KING 5 News
YAKIMA - State beekeepers are taking emergency action to head off bacteria that's wiped out almost all of the hives in Western Washington.
It's a desperate last stand to keep it from spreading east.
Eric Olson, of the Washington State Beekeepers Association, opened one of the few hives that survived after pollinating Western Washington crops last year.
"Of the 4,500 hives we had in Western Washington, 80 percent were dead, and the other 20 percent of them weren't any good," he said.
Olson soon learned a new strain of a deadly bee bacteria is attacking his hives. So far it's limited to bees that pollinate Western Washington's famous berry crops. But if it spreads, it could decimate the many farms and orchards that depend on bees in Central and Eastern Washington.
"Oh my God, it's everything and that's what makes this such a huge emergency for all of agriculture," he said.
Olson is hoping a powerful dose of vaccine used to kill the more traditional forms of the bacteria will attack this one. The bees' sugary food is spiked with the vaccine.
But nothing is for sure. No one knows if the same old vaccine will work for a new bacteria.
If it doesn't, Olson said: "We're screwed, there will be no any bees here next spring."
He thinks Western Washington will be the first place in the United States that doesn't have pollination.
Keepers on the other side of the Cascades will know in within weeks if they were able to stop it from spreading.
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The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
The Xerces Society is an international nonprofit organization that
protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their
habitat. To join the Society, make a contribution, or read about our
work, please visit www.xerces.org.
Matthew Shepherd
Senior Conservation Associate
4828 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland, OR 97215, USA
Tel: 503-232 6639 Cell: 503-807 1577 Fax: 503-233 6794
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