Where it is noted that research on CCD is hampered by a lack of a leader, lack of a toxicologist, and a lack of money.

Where it shown that the WTO did to beekeeping what Typhoid Mary did to New York City

Part 1 of the triology "Colony Collapse Disorder Disorder"

Part 2 of the triology "Colony Collapse Disorder Disorder"

Part 3 of the triology "Colony Collapse Disorder Disorder"

Part 4 of the triology quadrilogy "Colony Collapse Disorder Disorder"

Part 5 of the triology quadrilogy pentalogy "Colony Collapse Disorder Disorder"

Part 6 of of the increasingly inaccurately-named "Trilogy"

Where it is found that bees are exported without any inspections worthy of the name, as we warned would be the case in the article "Apis APHIS" back in 2002

Where a new paper shows that the 09/07 Science paper speculated far too much about too few samples, yet the new paper speculates even further, rather than admitting to the original speculation.

Nothing earth-shattering here, just the survey results.

The important line in this paper is the complete and unconditional retraction of the basic claims made in the initial 09/2007 Science paper, to wit "In a previous study using subsamples from the same colonies sampled here, IAPV was identified as highly correlated to CCD. This expanded study did not replicate those results."

Where it is made clear that those claiming that "pesticides" were to blame for CCD were actually suffering from self-inflicted over-use of miticides, and that the specific use of an organophosphate miticide by beekeepers was perhaps as bad for the bees as organophosphates have proven to be bad for humans in other segments of agriculture. This work is nothing but an expanded version of the much more readable article by Maryann Frazier, listed below, but added the realization that alternating between "Apistan" (fluvalinate) and "CheckMite" (coumaphos, the organophosphate) as was suggested by the voices of responsible authority when Checkmite was introduced, was a very very bad idea for the bees.

Where it is made clear that those claiming that "pesticides" were to blame for CCD were actually suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the foot in the form of over-use of miticides, use of off-spec miticides intended for other applications.

The Paper Addressed Above

The Details For The Paper Addressed Above

A 7 Megabyte mp3 File

Yep, we were covering the story long before anyone else.

I'm not above saying "I told you so." Next time, listen.

Older Articles

Whither Weather (Bee Culture Jan 2002)

Where bees are shown to be driven more by the weather than by the beekeeper's force of will.

Be A Budding Genius, Not A Blooming Idiot (Bee Culture Feb 2002)

Where our intrepid reporter reveals the secrets of predicting blooming to accuracies hitherto unknown to beekeeping.

A Sunny Disposition (Bee Culture April 2002)

Where the disposition of hives is shown to be a process that should consider the sun.

Blowin' Smoke (Bee Culture Aug 2002)

Where smokers are shown to be toxic, and it is explained that wood never actually burns.

Apis APHIS (Bee Culture Dec 2002) and (American Bee Journal Dec 2002)

Our reporter discovers a new species of bee while sitting in a conference room in Washington DC, an event that neither Ripley's nor Guinness has yet recognized for the remarkable feat that it was.

Its Raining (Bee Culture July 2003)

Where our reporter gets tired of rain on weekends when his hives need attention, and suspects a suspicious pattern.

How Stuff Really Works - The Bee Smoker (Bee Culture July 2003)

Where Mr. Science is brought back from beyond the grave... no, wait, it might be Ernie Kovacs...

The Not So Sweet Story Of Sweeteners (Bee Culture Sep 2003)

A review of everything known to man that competes with honey for the sweet tooth of the consumer, with handy factoids to answer the honey customer's questions about all of them.

Marketing Bored (Bee Culture Nov 2003)

Where our reporter risks being held in contempt by multiple Federal courts for explaining their rulings on marketing boards bearing a striking similarity to our own Honey Board.

Bioterrorism, The FDA & You (Bee Culture Feb 2004)

Where our reporter merely attempts to read the advice of our beloved Federal Government, and figure out if he needs to register his extractors as "food facilities".

This Story Is True... (Bee Culture March 2004)

Where Jack Webb comes back from the dead, but the contaminated honey is only a misdemeanor. The "spin" is the felony.

A Chilling Effect On Beekeeping (Bee Culture April 2004)

Where an entire National Academy of Science report is distilled down to reveal that Global Warming may not be the boon to beekeeping one might think.

No Name Brand (Bee Culture May 2004)

Where the ghosts of Abbot and Costello appear just because more of the same honey talked about in March 2004 appears on the opposite side of the planet, to the confusion of all.

The Bee-Quick 500 (Bee Culture July 2004)

How beekeepers can stop lying about harvests, prices, and number of splits made from a single hive and actually compete in something other than games of "can you top this".

Where Are We Going, And What's With This Handbasket? (Bee Culture Jan 2005)

Our reporter hangs out at the intersection of science, politics, and beekeeping, because the inevitable train wrecks at that crossing are spectacular.

Pyramid Scheme (American Bee Journal Aug 2005)

Where the new USDA Food Pyramid is revealed to not only insult honey, but to be based upon intellectual property stolen from the PBS-TV program Sesame Street.

Oh Death, Where Is Thy Sting? (Bee Culture Sept 2005)

Where our fearless reporter laughs in the face of death, and finds that more people die from falling out of bed than from insect stings.