Who’s Killing All the Bees? Apparently The Joooooosssss.

What do the NY Money Men have against bees?

The mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder that's savaging honeybee colonies across the United States and is expected to enter Canada is likely related to a virus, a group of top bee scientists said Thursday.

According to a new report in the journal Science, the Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) may be a potential cause of the epidemic that has afflicted between 50 and 90 per cent of commercial bee colonies in the U.S.

"In this study, we've had opportunity to find a brand-new virus to the United States, and it appears to be associated with (Colony Collapse Disorder)," Diana Cox-Foster, an entomology professor at Penn State, said on a conference call.

"Whether it's a causative agent or a very good marker is the next major question that we need to address."

Only recognized last year, the mysterious disorder is different from other diseases that plague bees because nearly all adults disappear from the hive - leaving only the queen, a few newly hostaed insects and plenty of food behind.

Technically the virus is named the Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus because it was identified in Israel but you just know some idiot, somewhere is going to blame this on the Jews. And yes, the smart money is on the Palestinian media or the BBC (okay, they are one and the same).

The disappearance of bees may seem like just an interesting mystery and not much more, but the truth is more serious.

Bees pollinate more than 90 fruit and vegetable crops, whose economic value is estimated at more than $14 billion in the U.S. alone.

Hat tip: Reason’s Hit and Run (home of the lovely Kerry Howley and a bunch of crazy libertarians)

posted by DrewM. at 09:27 AM

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