In 2006, Colony Collapse Disorder devastated many beekeepers and honey bee colonies across the US.
Colony Collapse Disorder is a syndrome characterized by some very specific symptoms: the majority of worker bees in a hive disappear and leave behind a laying queen, plenty of food and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees and the queen. It’s as if a booming metropolis suddenly emptied its working population. As a result, the hive dies.
Scientists still don’t know for sure what causes Colony Collapse Disorder, and the syndrome is infrequently seen today as compared to 2006. Even though CCD is not at the forefront of honey bee health concerns today, high annual losses related to the “4p’s”listed above persist, and are often mis-attributed to CCD in the media.