Say Bye To The Bee?

By now you probably know that the honey bee population is decreasing. And you might also know that this is causing a serious problem for almond, cranberry, blueberry, and among other, farmers. But do you know why? Although we know that perfectly healthy honey bees are leaving their hives never to return, the cause is all just speculation. Until now.
John Burand of the University of Massachusetts Amherst has received a three year, $150,000 grant, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for research aimed at improving the health of honey and bumble bees. Yaay! But don't worry he isn't the only professional on the research team. Also included: Anne Averill and Stephen Rich of the UMass Amherst department of plant, soil and insect sciences, who formed the UMass Amherst Bee Consortium with Burand in the fall of 2007 and Francis Drummond, an insect ecologist from the University of Maine at Orono.
"We don't know the cause of CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) or the reasons behind the disappearance of certain bumble bees, but the working hypothesis is that a number of factors are stressing bees, including diseases, parasites and pesticide use," says Burand.
Remain optimistic heroes! I am hopeful that the research will get to the heart of the problem and of course I will keep you up to date. Source.