Researchers have found a parasite in every Ontario bee sample they
analyzed in part of an effort to prevent a recurrence of the disaster
that wiped out a third of the province's honeybee colonies last
winter. The Ontario Beekeepers' Association experts collected about
446 bee samples from 25 keepers and every one contained Nosema apis, a
single-celled protozoan that affects the bees' digestive systems. More
than half of the samples had a more aggressive strain called Nosema
ceranae. But that wasn't the only problem. "The bees were already
under stress from a high incidence of varroa mites as well as the
environment. Due to a wet fall, the bees were not able to gather
enough pollen to use as a protein source for raising young bees in the
spring," said Alison Skinner, an association expert.

Ernesto Guzman, a University of Guelph environmental biology
professor, said recently that the varroa mite and Nosema ceranae may
have caused last winter's high mortality. "It may be one of the main
factors in Ontario's colony loss," Guzman said in a release in
October, "but because it's so new, the prevalence of this parasite in
the province and how it affects colony mortality have never been
studied."

Nosema ceranae was discovered in Ontario in May 2007, but has been
blamed for large colony losses in Europe.The Maritimes have also seen
an unusually high number of bee deaths recently and an entomologist
said in May that Nosema ceranae might have contributed. At the time,
Agriculture Canada's leading bee scientist, Steve Pernal, said he
thought unusual weather conditions were more likely to blame. Almost
27,000 of the 76,000 hives in Ontario were killed last year, and many
of the remaining colonies were badly weakened.

-- 
Peter L Borst
Danby, NY USA
42.35, -76.50
http://picasaweb.google.com/peterlborst

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