The honey bee has had a lot of press lately over the concern of their health and disappearances. As the primary pollinating insect, being responsible of 1/3 of our crops, the honey bee is very important to our global wellness.

What are these concerns?
One, Varroa destructor, is a mite that attacks apis cerana, the Eastern honey bee found in southern and southeastern Asia, and apis mellifera, the Western honey bee found in Europe and North America. This mite can only replicate in a honey bee colony and can be so detrimental as to leading to the death of an entire colony.

Secondly, is Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD); This is where entire colonies disappear, leaving behind the queen and a few larva. It too only occurs in the Western honey bee. While such disappearances have occurred throughout the history of apiculture, it has only been since 2006, when the significant losses have effected the economy of many of the agricultural crops worldwide. Some of the therories for this occurance are pathogens, mites, lack of genetic diversity, wide use of pesticides and urban sprawl.

"Though there has not been a consensus, we do know that organically raised bees, those not subject to genetically raised crops and chemicals are not undergoing the CCD that other bees are experiencing." Rita Putatunda, Disappearing Bee Theories.