A parasitic fly and accompanying pathogens may be one of the causes of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).
Proffessor John Hafernik observed a fly that parasitizes and kills honey bees. This accidental discovery lead to research by Andrew Core and other researchers, from the Biochemistry and Biophysics Department of the University of California, to investigate the impact of such a parasite on honey bee colonies.
The honey bee is infected by the phorid fly, Apocephalus borealis, also known as the ‘decapitating fly’. The female oviposits (lays eggs) within the honey bees’ abdomen. The honey bees become disoriented, abandons the hive and eventually dies as the fly larvae hatch and develop within the bee. The fly larvae emerge from the dead bee to pupate. Up to 13 mature larvae can emerge from a single honey bee, increasing the parasite population rapidly after each successful infection. The entire process of infection to emergence of adult flies takes about 2 months.
The fly is a vector or reservoir of several debilitating honey bee pathogens, such as, Deformed Wing Virus and Nosema ceranae, another micro-parasite. The cumulative effect of the parasitic fly, pathogens and other environmental factors may be responsible for CCD observed worldwide.
This leads us a step closer to solving the CCD mystery and hopefully a cure before we are left with no honey bees to save.
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| Decapitating parasitic fly - Apocepahlus borealis Wikipedia
A New Threat to Honey Bees, the Parasitic Phorid Fly Apocephalus borealis.
Core A, Runckel C, Ivers J, Quock C, Siapno T, et al. (2012).
PLoS ONE 7(1): e29639. Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0029639
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The Scientific Article
Core A, Runckel C, Ivers J, Quock C, Siapno T, et al. (2012).
PLoS ONE 7(1): e29639. Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0029639
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Update: 18 Oct 2013 - Bee Colony Failures and the SLS model
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Update: 18 Oct 2013 - Bee Colony Failures and the SLS model
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