The bee population is estimated to have fallen by nearly fifteen per cent over the last two years in the United Kingdom.

The fear in England is that the problem of a loss of pollinating bees will become even worse due to the problems reported in the United States and elsewhere last year.

The mysterious syndrome called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) where bees disappear and never return to the hive contributed to loss of nearly one third of all bee hives in the United States last year.

In response to the threat posed by CCD, the United Kingdom has just launched a "healthy bees" plan, by inviting amateur bee keepers to join a national register and take part in free advice and monitoring services.

The program in the United Kingdom will be coordinated through the National Bee Unit. The organization will attempt to contact the country's estimated 20,000 amateur beekeepers to invite them to join a national database. The intention is to keep scientists better informed of any developing and all existing bee health problems.

Meanwhile, in the United States, research into the mystery of the disappearing bee (CCD) continues in Penn State and other national research facilities. In addition, beekeepers have just created the National Honey Bee Advisory Board.

The Board will work with the EPA and the agricultural manufacturers to develop better methodologies to measure the real world harm that agricultural pesticides may be inflicting on bees. Many beekeepers believe that pesticides may be playing a major role in the mystery of CCD. ( See Research Key in Unraveling Mystery of Disappearing Bees on eWorldvu).

Still, the bee keeper industry is using better bee husbandry and greater hive inspection as part of an overall solution to reduce the dramatic loss of honey bees. So far the effort looks like it is meeting with some success.

It appears that many beekeepers have prevented colony loss by redoubling their efforts at improving their colonies' diets, keeping infections and parasites in check, and practicing good hygiene during the winter. Research has also shown that sterilizing old beehive frames with gamma rays before reusing them has reduced the risk of colony collapse.

So, while there are no actual numbers of bee hive loss yet available from the winter of 2008-2009, the problem does not appear to be nearly as severe as the dramatic decline in hives that the United States beekeepers experienced last year.

Yet, there is still no solution to the mystery of disappearing honey bees (CCD) and the risk to the bee and the national food supply remains. Honey bee pollination is responsible for the growth of all fruits and many vegetables as well as livestock feed. It is estimated that bees pollinate one third of American food and three quarters of plants, including crops, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, even cotton that is used in fabrics.

A plate full of fruit, vegetables and other delicious foods surely beats a meager meal of corn syrup, bread and other starches. The latter would soon become our diet without the pollination of the bee. It is why tracking the mystery of the disappearing honey bee should continue to be a priority for agriculture, human nutrition and health until a solution is found.

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