North American Honey Bees Still Weak

“The bees are in a weakened state. They’ve had a rough season, so there aren’t as many bees in the colonies as one would expect at this time of year.”

- Jerry Hayes, Chief of Apiary Section, Florida Dept. of Agriculture

September 26, 2007  Gainesville, Florida -  The September 7, 2007, Science Express reported the discovery of the "Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV)" in 96% of honey bees affected by Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). [ See 090707 Earthfiles.]  IAPV was first identified in Israel in 2002 to 2003 at the same time that Israeli beekeepers were struggling to cope with Asian varroa mites as North American beekeepers have since the 1980s.