Brandon Twp.- The symptoms seem simple’the bees just disappear.
The cause, however, may be far more complex.
Colony Collapse Disorder, the recent honeybee crisis riddling millions of colonies nationwide and resulting in the loss of 50 to 90 percent of some keepers? bees for no apparent reason? has some area beekeepers seeking answers.
Ed and Mary Dolzynski, owners of Twins Honeybee Farms, purchased 10 acres of land in the township about nine years ago. Three years later, the full-time UPS driver started raising honeybees near his township home and on another location in Oakland Township.
In their first year, the Dolzynskis made and sold five gallons of honey. In 2006, they harvested about 3,000 pounds of raw honey with about 1.5 million bees (50,000 bees for each of the 30 hives they keep).
‘We’re small compared to other beekeepers,? said Dolzynski. ‘I can’t say I’ve been affected by the disorder, it’s normal to lose from 30 to 70 percent each year. But there’s a lot we don’t know about bees’the environment plays a big role, from rain to temperature’natural factors you just can’t control.?
Dolzynski also considers unnatural factors including cell phone signals, prevalent in many areas throughout the state.
Jerry Dunbar of the Michigan Beekeepers Association District represents about 200 beekeepers in Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair and Wayne counties.
‘The media hype is good, it keeps people talking, and we need to find out what’s going on with the Colony Collapse Disorders,? said Dunbar, a beekeeper for about 34 years. ‘Everything has a cause and we need to find it.?
Dunbar, with about 30 colonies of bees in the Roseville area, is convinced that a steady diet of high fructose corn syrup that has been genetically modified could be the cause of the CCD. The bees are fed the corn syrup before they are sold to beekeepers like Dunbar.
‘Insects have become disabled after consuming the corn syrup,? said Dunbar. ‘It may be adding to the CCD.?
For consumers of honey, the price could go up if the disorder gets worse, added Dunbar. The price of three pounds of bees cost about $20 a few years ago. Today it’s close to $70 for the same amount.
Dr. Zachary Huang, associate professor at the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University says only two beekeepers in Michigan have been hit with CCD so far.
‘Other states have been hit a lot harder,? said Huang. ‘The disorder is still under investigation and one of the experiments has been with the high fructose corn syrup, however, there has been no conclusion.?
The bees? deaths will impact the pollination industry more than the honey business, added Huang.
‘The pollination of fruit and vegetables is a $450 million business. That will eventually cost the consumers more than the price of honey. The United States imports plenty of honey.?