Evidently, a parasitic phorid fly--Apocephalus borealis--hijacks the bees' bodies, burrows into and nests in their stomachs, causing them to exhibit zombie-like behavior. The infected bees walk in circles, some pursue bright light, many lose the ability to stand on their feet, others flee their hives, and all of them eventually die. My first reaction to reading about this gruesome attack was...EW! My second was, Crap, yet another threat to our bees! and my third reaction was, Okay, so maybe the discovery is the missing link to understanding Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)--that mysterious phenomena taking out our honeybees.
This same, new, parasite is also attacking the bumblebee population. Scientists are studying whether or not this parasite is an additional stressor on the honeybee, contributing to CCD, or if it might actually be the primary cause of CCD. Whatever role it plays, one thing is for certain: we must, if we value all that is good in nature, all that is good on our dinner table, save our precious bees from turning into zombies.
Oooh. This is the stuff of Night Gallery! Disgusting and fascinating at the same time. I can't help but think there's a horror short story buzzing around in my brain now. Bwah-ha-ha!
ReplyDeleteHere's the link the zombie ant fungus I mentioned
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuKjBIBBAL8
Creepay!
Yes, horror story indeed! And a big YUCK with those zombie ants, ughhh!
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to an article with a picture of a honeybee and one of those heinous flies on her back: http://www.argusleader.com/article/20120107/NEWS/301070009/Parasite-found-S-D-hives-creates-zombie-bees-
Wow, interesting story! The bee thing is pretty serious for sure. I hope this is the clue to the answer not another problem.
ReplyDeleteCrap! That is so sad:(
ReplyDelete