That's Fit

I love a good mystery, but this one smacks a little too much of the Twilight Zone to me. Across the nation, honeybees have been disappearing from their hives, with no trace or evidence of what's causing them to leave. Experts are calling it colony collapse disorder, and it has them mystified. Entire colony of bees suddenly abandon their hives, leaving only the queen and immature younger bees behind. Researchers have been unable to explain why the bees left or where they are ending up.

This is more than a really strange story, it may well have an impact on agriculture in our nation. Many people think of honey when they think of bees, but the insects are crucial to the pollination of many different types of fruits and vegetables. An estimated 15 to 30 percent of the food supply depends on bees for pollination, and crops like almonds are 100% dependent. Though the first official case of this disorder was reported last October, those in the industry believe that it may have really started two to three years ago.

There are a few culprits -- parasites and pesticides among them -- and a new task force in California is set to start testing hives to see if they can discover what's happening and how to stop it. Hopefully they'll come up with an answer soon!