Quote:
Originally Posted by Pyrotex
Are European bees disappearing too?
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Yes, the European bees are also dying. Try to remember, though, that the parasite from the Aussie bees is only one of the factors leading to colony collapse. Malnutrition and pesticides seem to play a critical role, and when all are taken in combination, our pollinating friends become really diseased and ultimatley perish.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Galapagos
I'm curious as to whether or not this is affecting the Africanized "killer" bee populations as well.
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That's a really good question. In fact, in the video to which I linked in the OP, they discussed how they are working to genetically modify africanized bees in such a way that they are tolerant to the Aussie parasite, to pesticides, and to single crop feeding. Let's hope they don't make matters worse, but they do appear to be trying to engineer a super bee.
I hope I've accurately represented the video. You may want to watch for yourself to validate that my summary is correct.
