"Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) or sometimes honey bee depopulation syndrome (HBDS)[1] is a phenomenon in which worker bees from a beehive or European honey bee colony abruptly disappear."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorder
Mystery Bee Disappearances Sweeping U.S.
[chart]news.nationalgeographic.com/news/bigphotos/images/070223-bees_big.jpg[/chart]
Photograph by Scott Bauer/USDA ARS
A European honeybee endures a shiny black varroa mite on its back. In the U.S. the mites have destroyed more than half of some beekeepers' hives.
Now a mystery disorder is causing bees to vanish, leaving their hives to collapse. The epidemic could put a strain on fruit growers and other farmers who rely on the insects to pollinate their crops.
