New Article - Are Microcystin Toxins a Possible Contributing Factor to CCD?

[admin]

Dear Members,


A new article added to the BBKA website today by: Michael J. Healy, Ph.D.


"This article has been written with the purpose of exploring the possible connection between CCD and McTs along with offering up a theory (or two) and summarizing a beginning laboratory study to test hive surfaces for McTs. My goal is that qualified researchers dealing with this specific toxin will begin a communication process with entomologists studying CCD."


http://www.britishbee.org.uk/articles/microcystin_toxins_colony_collapse_disorder.php

Regards Steve

[Karin]

Interesting Steve. Thanks for posting.

Other thoughts if this hypothesis is true: Does anyone know whether blue-green algae are more common in water with higher nitrogen levels? If this were so, then increased use of aritificial fertilisers which are relatively more easily washed into water sources than old fashioned muck, might be a cause for the increase in the presence of blue-green algae.

[Poly Hive]

In recent years I believe that Nitrogen usage has in fact decreased due to both cost and environmental concerns. That is of course in the UK, the States might well be another matter.

PH

[jimbeekeeper]

As Poly hive has stated, cost is very important and as such farmers and other users of fertiliser are less likely to throw it around willy-nilly!

Utilising specialist consultants and slow release and controlled release fertilisers is more common, even to GPS / satellite images of their fields thus enabling them to target only the areas required though visible plant growth changes.