1. The analysis of the four variables from each case study show that the Varroa mite has the highest ability to negatively impact honey bee populations and increase CCD o Large geographic range o Questionable treatment options o Found frequently in hives across the globe Potential Impacts of increasing CCD frequency include: o Loss to pollinator services - Effects on local ecology - Economic impact to agricultural industry o Honey industry - Commercial honey production - Negatively impacting developing economic resources Further study: o Isolation of causes to target cures o Implementation of alternates to pesticide use o Education for beekeepers on hazards, cures, etc. o Distribution of research and funding on CCD, particularly in developing countries Olivia Collins ‘14, Anne Schechner ‘15, Beatrice Smith ‘15 Introduction/Objective Colony Collapse Disorder: An Assessment of Primary Causes And Their Pervasiveness Colony Collapse Disorder: An Assessment of Primary Causes And Their Pervasiveness What Is Colony Collapse Disorder? Introduction Conclusions The Case Studies Varroa Mite Ectoparasite, considered the primary destructor of colonies in winter Vector for many viral infections, depress bee immune systems All colonies within area of study that aren’t treated die (Genersch et al., 2010) Neonicotinoids Synergizes with other parasites/pathogens that more directly cause CCD Applied to ag crops/home plants, highly persistent in soil Inhibits flying, navigation, reproduction, food sensitivity, and learning Hopwood et al., 2013.) Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus Symptoms affect the morphology, physiology and behavior Ceases development and rapidly darkens body parts Symptoms show three days after exposure General mortality rate reached up to 100 (Bailey et al., 1964) Transmitted via fecal matter and group feeding Nosema Parasite Found in Asian and European Hives Studies show that a combination of these parasites result in mortality rates up to 94.1% one week post infection (Forsgren et al., 2009) Transmitted via fecal matter and food exchange. Imidacloprid Insecticide applied to the corn used in high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) Fed to bees during winter months Used to treat genetically modified corn seed and has had no measurable negative impacts on any consumers but has directly measurable lethal impacts on honey bee colonies (Chensheng et al., 2012) Insecticide Boosters Enhance the efficiency of herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides by acting as a defoaming, thickening, or spread facilitating agent Not considered an active pesticide ingredient Cause learning impairment in affected bees (Ciarlo et al., 2012) Selection Criteria Colony Collapse Disorder is being studied at different levels and in different areas. We chose cases based on options that are prevalent across the years in which CCD has been studied (post 2006), that are present in a large geographical range, and that have been previously determined to be significant contributors to CCD. We chose evaluation criteria in such a way as to be able to summarize the present knowledge on each contributor to CCD, while providing us with a way to quantify the emergence and importance of each contributor. We summarized this with Potential to Expand, Frequency of Threat, Geographic Range, Treatment/Prevention Options, and Effects on Bee Colonies. The sudden collapse of Apis mellifera is the result of a variety of contributing factors such as mites, parasites, pesticides, and viruses. The symptoms of CCD: 1.The rapid loss of adult worker bees from affected colonies as evidenced by weak or dead colonies with excess brood populations relative to adult bee populations 2.A noticeable lack of dead worker bees both within and surrounding the affected hives 3.The delayed invasion of hive pests and kleptoparasitism from neighboring honey bee colonies (vanEngelsdorp et al., 2009) While CCD has similar symptoms in all colonies that it affects, the predominant causes of CCD work in a variety of ways. CCD is a widespread condition that affects Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) populations globally, resulting in failure of honey bee hives including death and/or hive abandonment First case: winter of 2006/2007, resulting in a major decline in the pollination of crops incl. almonds, apples, alfalfa, etc. Roughly 1/3 of the US diet is pollinated by A. mellifera. Difficult to establish a singular cause of collapse: many contributing factors (Klein et al., 2007; Kaplan, 2012). The primary goal of this research is to establish a singular most pervasive cause of CCD based on four major criteria and to outline how it is connected to other causes of CCD as well as potential solutions and treatments. Hypothesis: Through the analysis of six major causes of CCD, using four selection criteria, a primary cause of CCD can be established. Geographic Range Fig.1: Range of Parasite Fig. 2: Range of Varroa Mite Fig. 3: Range of Imidacloprid Fig. 4: Range of Insecticide Boosters Fig. 5: Range of Neoniconitoids Fig. 6: Range of IAPV PersistenceFrequency of ThreatTreatment Options Varroa miteUnclearCommon Miticides (be careful to minimize honey contamination), insecticide, heat treatment, perforated bottom board, genetic engineering via RNA interference: knock out varroa mite genes NeoniconitoidsHighCommon in agrculture use Minimize use; no treatment option IAPVHighInfect symbiotically with other causes Requires dsRNA ingestion, RNA interference, not easily accessed ParasitesHighCommon Fumagation, good success rate ImidaclopridHigh Dependent on care of honey bees, based on diet Don't use HFCS treated with imidacloprid; no treatment option, mortality will occur Insecticide boosters Low Cause learning impairment but not directly CCD Do not use An example of a colony impacted by CCD (Oldroyder, 2007). Literature Cited Klein AM, Vassiére BE, Cane JH, Steffan-Dewenter I, Cunningham SA, et al. 2007. Importance of pollinators in changing landscapes for world crops. Proc Roy Soc Lond B Biol Sci 274: 303–313. Kaplan J.K. 2012. Colony Collapse Disorder: An Incomplete Puzzle. Agricultural Research. U.S. Department of Agriculture 6: 4-8. vanEngelsdorp D, Evans JD, Saegerman C, Mullin C, Haubruge E, et al. 2009. Colony Collapse Disorder: A Descriptive Study. PLoS ONE 8: e6481. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0006481 Chensheng, L. Warchol, K.M., Callahan, R.A. 2012. In situ replication of honey bee colony collapse disorder. Bulletin of Insectology 65: 1. Ciarlo, T.J., Mullin, C.A., Frazier, J.L., Schmehl, D.R. 2012. Learning impairment in honey bees caused by agricultural spray adjuvants. PLoS One 7, e40848. Bailey, L., Gibbs, J. 1964 Acute Infection of Bees with Paralysis Virus. 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