11/19/2007 4:27:00 PM A bee story swarming around Lake Minnetonka
What is CCD?
In fall 2006, beekeepers reported losses of 30-90 percent of their hives. The phenomenon is termed "Colony Collapse Disorder" (CCD).
The main symptom is simply a low number of adult honey bees in the hive. Scientists have yet to determine the cause(s).
Anecdotal reports point to pesticides, a new parasite or pathogen or a combination of stresses as potential causes.
Honey bee disappearances have been reported in the 1880s, the 1920s and the 1960s. Descriptions sound similar to CCD, but there is no way to know if it is related.
Bee pollination aids crops such as almonds and other nuts, berries, fruits, and vegetables. About one mouthful in three in the diet directly or indirectly benefits from honey bee pollination.
The nation's honey bees, which are more often swatted than lauded, are disappearing. And not just a few - millions, according to reports by the United States Department of Agriculture.
The phenomenon, dubbed "Colony Collapse Disorder" (CCD), gained national attention when commercial, migratory beekeepers from both coasts began finding hives completely bare of their prized pollinators, according to a December 2006 study by a CCD working group led by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
"This has become a highly significant yet poorly understood problem for beekeepers," according to the CCD working group study.
But unlike many commercial beekeepers and their counterparts - large-scale orchards and farms - the smaller operations of the Lake Minnetonka area have yet to be crippled by CCD.
"No problems this year," said Catherine Dumas of Dumas Apple Orchard in Orono, who couldn't grow apples without pollination.
Many local beekeepers credit this to the lack of exposure local bees have to migratory ones.
"[Honey bees] are the world's most important pollinators, contributing billions of dollars in value to agriculture and our diet. Bees also pollinate wildflowers in our natural ecosystems and much of what we plant in our home gardens," according to a report from the University of Minnesota Bee Lab, a nationally-recognized research hub.
Honey bees pollinate much of what's on the Thanksgiving table, including almonds, apples, cherries, cranberries and pumpkins.
While the value of bees is difficult to question, the direct cause of CCD remains uncertain.
From beekeepers to politicians and scientists, fingers are pointed at parasites, pesticides, viruses, industrialized agriculture, and even the commercial keepers themselves.
Whatever the cause, CCD threatens not only the livelihood of beekeepers, but the farmers who rely on assisted pollination, the markets and grocery stores who sell those foods, and the people (and animals) who eat them.
Brian Fredericksen owns and operates Ames Farm, a producer of honey, bee pollen and 20 varieties of apples.
Fredericksen has a relatively small operation of 300 beehives in 18 Minnesota locations, including Chanhassesn, Chaska and Minnetrista, and said he has had no problems with CCD - yet, anyway.
"It's not even an issue, really. I am more concerned about [commercial migratory beekeepers] that can and do move their hives near me and transfer problems to me," said Fredericksen.
Fredericksen puts the blame squarely on industrialized agriculture and irresponsible commercial beekeepers.
He said he would love it if those mass commercial beekeepers were required to keep their bees at a safe distance from local keepers.
Scott Schaper on the other hand is not concerned.
Schaper runs Minnetonka Orchards in Minnetrista, which has 13-acres dedicated to harvesting more than 10 varieties of apples.
"It's a small orchard, and we were over pollinated this year," said Schaper.
Schaper brought in bees as a fail-safe before the bloom in late May, but because the orchard was also pollinated by wind and beneficials (any organism in nature that benefits the growing process) he had to thin out his trees.
Dumas Orchard in Orono also had a banner year.
Dumas has 20-acres of apple trees and the orchard received adequate pollination from wind and beneficials alone, explained Catherine Dumas.
Wahlfors Raspberry Farm of Long Lake also got through the bloom without a hitch, explained owner Larry Wahlfors.
The fact that most local keepers and farmers remain unscathed by CCD made sense to entomologist and hobbyist beekeeper Dan Palmer of Waconia.
"Local keepers are smaller, not moving and intermingling with bees who went to California and back," said Palmer. "But I'm concerned. It will eventually trickle down."
The problem may stem in part from the booming almond industry of California, which offers a second income for commercial beekeepers in the winter months, said Palmer.
"More than one million bee colonies are required to pollinate almonds in California during late February and March. Moving such large numbers of colonies into a relatively small area places even more stress on bees," according to a University of Minnesota Bee Lab report.
Although smaller, local operators have avoided the stresses of CCD thus far, the situation will remain tenuous at best until a solution is found.
