The Honey Bee the Honey Bee-Colony Collapse Disorder Mystery
(Time: ~1 minute, 40 seconds)
What’s happening to our honey bees? It’s a mystery that scientists are trying to uncover.
Hi Sharon Durham with the Agricultural Research Service or A-R-S … the chief scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 
In 2006, U.S. beekeepers started reporting losses of 30 percent to 90 percent of bee hives with no apparent reason. This puzzling syndrome is known as Colony Collapse Disorder or C-C-D. Most of the adult bees, if not all, disappear without a trace. 
The good news is that the rate of honey bee losses seems to have leveled off. The bad news is that the cause of C-C-D remains unclear.
At the A-R-S Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, scientists are looking into the many possible causes of C-C-D. They are investigating four factors—pathogens, parasites, environmental factors and management practices. 
Scientists have found that several viruses are more abundant in C-C-D hives. Also, the best predictors of this disorder appear to be the presence of certain parasites, viruses and the level of proteins.
Researchers checked samples of wax, pollen and bees for the presence of 121 different pesticides. In all, they only found two pesticides in the samples, and even those were in levels well below what’s considered lethal for honey bees.
However, sub-lethal dosages of some pesticides can make honey bees more susceptible to a gut parasite. Therefore, scientists are helping the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency develop pesticide-testing guidelines that include sub-lethal dosages. 
That's our podcast for today. Be on the lookout for the latest development in the mysterious disappearance of bees.