I would have wrote more on this a bit earlier, but the bee hives were
draped in black crape A study ‘need not mention CCD by name’ to be
helpful in this particular area of research. Although CCD is not named in
the study, the study may have potential value to research being conducted
in at least two of the many areas of interest to CCD researchers, which
are the effects that nutrition and pesticides have on a honeybee colony.
We know that a chemical used by the coca plant to defend itself from leaf-
eating insects interferes with octopamine transit in insect brains. And
from this study, we find that cocaine tends to interfere with octopamine
in forager bees, causing them to exaggerate their dances (which may have a
great potential to affect colony nutrition). We know that many
pesticides have a mode of action which targets the octopamine receptors of
insects. We know that amatraz -used in beehives, works by that same mode
of action -targeting the octopamine receptors in insects (or at least
experts believe that this is the mode of action).
Where it becomes interesting, is that we know that octopamine is essential
to the forager bees ability to discern higher quality nutritional sources
from the lesser quality sources, by directly modulating the dances
accordingly. Any environmental influence that affects the foragers ability
to discern the higher nutritional foods from the lesser is very curious
indeed, and would by necessity, make it a high priority area of research
in the CCD research efforts, in my opinion.
I encourage any research directed towards the effects pesticides have on
octopamine in honeybee foragers, as I feel this should be an area of grave
concern to all beekeepers. The dangers are that perhaps more pesticides
that target the octopamine receptors will be developed. And another
concern is that octopamine itself, or chemicals affecting octopamine
levels in forager honeybees might be used by farmers to trick honeybees to
visit lesser quality sources, which would be devastating to foraging
abilities, thereby causing great confusion and nutritional deficit at the
colony level, which will intern affect the immune system of the honeybee
and its ability to fight disease.
IMO, it’s not always the answers from research, but the questions that
arise from research that are the most interesting.
Best Wishes,
Joe
“We do know allot about honeybees. From all the things that we do know,
one of the things that we do know, is that we do not know, all there is to
know about honeybees.”
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/HistoricalHoneybeeArticles/
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