Tuesday, February 27, 2007
You may soon be paying more for fruit here in Florida...at least for the fruits that require bee pollination, including citrus, strawberries and blueberries. Honeybees are disappearing at an alarming rate nationwide and researchers are working to uncover the source of their disappearance. These bees play a vital role in the long chain that gets fruit and vegetables to supermarkets. Assistant professor of Entomology at the University of Florida Dr. Jamie Ellis says crops in Florida will suffer if the source for the disappearance isn't found soon. There are a number of hypotheses for the disappearance. Researchers say bees suffer from colony collapse disorder, where the bees are simply too tired to return to their hives after pollination. They are also speculating mites, pesticides, and viruses as causes of the bee disappearance. Ellis says beekeepers here are already losing colonies to commercial bee keepers, and this new virus is adding to their troubles. Ellis adds the shape and size of Florida's fruit could be different if the crop is not pollinated by these honeybees.