Honeybees may be infecting bumblebees with deadly diseases

Bumblebees, which are in global decline, could be picking up the infections from flowers or during raids on honeybee hivesBumblebees appear to be contracting deadly diseases from their domesticated honeybee cousins, according to a study that looked at 26 UK sites. The wild bees probably pick up infections from flowers that have been visited by honeybees.The diseases are economically significant because the wild insects pollinate a large proportion of the world's crops."Wild populations of bumblebees appear to be in significant decline across Europe, North America, South America and also in Asia," said Mark Brown of the University of London. He said his study, which is published in Nature, confirmed that a major source of the decline was "the spillover of parasites and pathogens and disease" from managed honeybee hives.Smaller studies have shown disease going back and forth between the two kinds of bee, but Brown said his is the first to look at the problem on a national scale. The study tracked nearly 750 bees at 26 sites throughout the UK. He and his colleagues also did lab work on captive bees to show disease spread.What the study shows is that "the spillover for bees is turning into [a] boilover," said University of Illinois entomology professor May Berenbaum, who wasn't part of the study.Study co-author Matthias Furst of the University of London said the team's research does not definitively prove the diseases are passed from honeybees to bumblebees, rather than the other...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Tags: theguardian.com Biology World news Infectious diseases Animals UK news Insects Zoology Environment Science Bees Wildlife Source Type: news