Level headed discussion of colony loss from Alexander J McMenamin, Pennsylvania State University, Chemical Ecology Laboratory, USA; and Elke Genersch, Institute for Bee Research, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Bee Diseases, Germany

Winter colony losses in general and CCD in particular  It is worth noting that the death of a honey bee colony due to natural causes, including disease, is within the scope of reasonable expectations for a living organism  However, reoccurring unusually high winter colony losses at or above 30% in the recent past startled beekeepers and scientists alike.   

Often when talking about colony losses, this general phenomenon is conflated with CCD. However, CCD has a very specific case definition and is mainly characterized by the presence of a live queen and a lot of capped brood, indicative of rapid loss of adult bees.  CCD _sensu stricto_ has so far only been reported from North America where it has been identified as one of many causes of winter mortality and likely arises from multiple etiological agents. However, it has not been cited as a significant cause of winter losses since the winter of 2006/2007.

It is important to point out, that THE colony loss or THE honey bee decline does not exist. Instead, the phenome- non of colony losses, although globally observed and reported, has different dimensions, reasons, and key players varying by region and time. It is also important to note that large scale colony losses are not happening for the first time but rather similar losses have been described in the historical past. This recurrence far from detracts from the importance of studying honey bee health, but rather increases the interest from the perspective of not only agriculture, but also basic science and ecology.

Article in press: McMenamin AJ, Genersch E: Honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony losses and associated viruses, Curr Opin Insect Sci (2015)

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