Disappearance of Honey Bees a Mystery (1/2)

What has happened to America's honeybees? Last fall, beekeepers from states with warm climates began to report a sudden loss of honey bees. Losses were reported in 24 states and into Canada. Today, some beekeepers say thirty percent to ninety percent of their honey bees are gone. Food prices could go up as a result. And some beekeeping businesses have failed.

Many kinds of plants, trees and grasses need bees to pollinate them. Bees gather nectar from flowers during this process. The liquid gives them food and material to make honey. As the bees land on flowers, their bodies pick up and drop off fine particles of pollen" class="hjdict" word="pollen" target=_blank>pollen. Most flowering plants need pollination to reproduce.

Honey bees can die during the winter. But few dead bees have been found. Instead, the bees seem to have disappeared. Experts call the condition "colonycollapse disorder."

Agriculture Department official Caird Rexroad said the collapse threatens about 15 billion dollars worth of the country's farm economy. Mister Rexroad commented at a hearing of a House of Representatives agriculture subcommittee.