The mystery of the disappearing bees.(FORE FRONT)

A crisis is developing in the world of beekeeping. Beekeepers around the country have gone to check on their honey bee colonies only to find that the majority have died or--even more mysteriously--vanished. Although this is alarming for the livelihood of beekeepers, the problem has much more far-reaching implications.

Honey bees are of course best known for making honey. Their most important task, however, is to pollinate a wide range of crops including apples, blueberries, cucumbers, almonds and avocados. According to the USDA, one-third of the human diet is derived from insect-pollinated plants, with honey bees accounting for 80% of this. Cornell University researchers have determined that the value of honey bee pollination to U.S. agricultural output is more than $14 billion per year.

Many culprits have been named to explain this disappearance--known as "colony collapse disorder"--including parasites, nutritional problems and genetically modified crops. One of the more prevalent theories faults pesticides, particularly a class of nicotine-derivatives known as neonicotinoids. One such chemical insecticide, imidacloprid, has become the subject of much controversy.

Manufactured by a division of Bayer AG, imidacloprid is typically used to control a variety of pests including aphids, beetles, termites and locusts. However, it also highly toxic to honey bees and may impair their ability to return to the hive, which might explain why some colonies were virtually empty.

Imidacloprid has come under intense scrutiny around the world. After being suspected of decimating the bee population and the country's honey production, imidacloprid was banned altogether in 1999 in France, where it was sold as a sunflower seed treatment under the trade name "Gaucho." Bayer disputed the link between imidacloprid and bee deaths and even went so far as to sue a member of a French beekeeping union for defamation. The case was dismissed, however, and the ban remains in place with other countries considering following suit.

The mystery of the disappearing bees.(FORE FRONT)

A crisis is developing in the world of beekeeping. Beekeepers around the country have gone to check on their honey bee colonies only to find that the majority have died or--even more mysteriously--vanished. Although this is alarming for the livelihood of beekeepers, the problem has much more far-reaching implications.

Honey bees are of course best known for making honey. Their most important task, however, is to pollinate a wide range of crops including apples, blueberries, cucumbers, almonds and avocados. According to the USDA, one-third of the human diet is derived from insect-pollinated plants, with honey bees accounting for 80% of this. Cornell University researchers have determined that the value of honey bee pollination to U.S. agricultural output is more than $14 billion per year.

Many culprits have been named to explain this disappearance--known as "colony collapse disorder"--including parasites, nutritional problems and genetically modified crops. One of the more prevalent theories faults pesticides, particularly a class of nicotine-derivatives known as neonicotinoids. One such chemical insecticide, imidacloprid, has become the subject of much controversy.

Manufactured by a division of Bayer AG, imidacloprid is typically used to control a variety of pests including aphids, beetles, termites and locusts. However, it also highly toxic to honey bees and may impair their ability to return to the hive, which might explain why some colonies were virtually empty.

Imidacloprid has come under intense scrutiny around the world. After being suspected of decimating the bee population and the country's honey production, imidacloprid was banned altogether in 1999 in France, where it was sold as a sunflower seed treatment under the trade name "Gaucho." Bayer disputed the link between imidacloprid and bee deaths and even went so far as to sue a member of a French beekeeping union for defamation. The case was dismissed, however, and the ban remains in place with other countries considering following suit.

The mystery of the disappearing bees.(FORE FRONT)

A crisis is developing in the world of beekeeping. Beekeepers around the country have gone to check on their honey bee colonies only to find that the majority have died or--even more mysteriously--vanished. Although this is alarming for the livelihood of beekeepers, the problem has much more far-reaching implications.

Honey bees are of course best known for making honey. Their most important task, however, is to pollinate a wide range of crops including apples, blueberries, cucumbers, almonds and avocados. According to the USDA, one-third of the human diet is derived from insect-pollinated plants, with honey bees accounting for 80% of this. Cornell University researchers have determined that the value of honey bee pollination to U.S. agricultural output is more than $14 billion per year.

Many culprits have been named to explain this disappearance--known as "colony collapse disorder"--including parasites, nutritional problems and genetically modified crops. One of the more prevalent theories faults pesticides, particularly a class of nicotine-derivatives known as neonicotinoids. One such chemical insecticide, imidacloprid, has become the subject of much controversy.

Manufactured by a division of Bayer AG, imidacloprid is typically used to control a variety of pests including aphids, beetles, termites and locusts. However, it also highly toxic to honey bees and may impair their ability to return to the hive, which might explain why some colonies were virtually empty.

Imidacloprid has come under intense scrutiny around the world. After being suspected of decimating the bee population and the country's honey production, imidacloprid was banned altogether in 1999 in France, where it was sold as a sunflower seed treatment under the trade name "Gaucho." Bayer disputed the link between imidacloprid and bee deaths and even went so far as to sue a member of a French beekeeping union for defamation. The case was dismissed, however, and the ban remains in place with other countries considering following suit.