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USDA Bee Researchers Discover Link Between Nutrition And Colony Collapse

By Jim Becker, KOLD News 13 Reporter

Researchers have been able to quickly debunk one claim for the demise of commercial bee colonies this past year, cell phones.

There's a cell phone tower right across the street from the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center.

The culprit is more likely improper nutrition, say the researchers.

Specifically, unfavorable weather, too dry in the fall and too warm in the winter, kept plants from growing back east and in the Midwest.

That meant no pollen for bees to feed on in winter and spring.

"When spring came and they started to fly day after day, the colonies began to collapse," explains Dr. Gloria Hoffman, the lead researcher on the study of Colony Collapse Disorder.

The solution: a nutritional supplement, developed jointly by USDA researchers and SAFE R & D, a company working with the USDA. The supplement is a brown paste that the bees seem to love.

The man who helped create it says it's made of proteins and sugar.

"What we're finding is by supporting the bees' nutrition, we can help mitigate the effects of the diseases and the mites by giving them good nutrition," explains Gordon Wardell of SAFE.

Researchers also believe the supplement will help bees overcome stress they experience from moving place to place, pollinating everything from almonds to zucchini.