Where have all the bees gone?

In testimony before the House Agriculture Committee today:

Dr. Diana Cox-Foster, PhD, Professor, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania said this:

As you know and have heard in the testimony by the USDA-ARS, honey bees are essential for the pollination of over 90 fruit and vegetable crops worldwide. The economic worth of the honey bee is valued at more than $14.6 billion in the U.S. In Pennsylvania alone, honey bees and pollination are worth $65 million annually through fruit crops, forage, and bee products (most notably honey). In addition to agricultural crops, honey bees also pollinate many native plants in the ecosystem. Populations of honey bees are in jeopardy due to the 1988 introduction of varroa mites, recognized previously as a major threat to bee colonies in the U.S. Down from a peak of 80,000 colonies in 1982, an estimated 38,500 colonies in September 2006 are being managed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Recently, increased deaths in bee colonies with unique symptoms (termed Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)) seriously threaten the ability of the bee industry to meet the diverse pollination needs of fruit and vegetable producers within the State and across the United States. These symptoms have now been reported in 24 states across the continental United States and in two Canadian provinces.


And later....

In CCD, the bee colony proceeds rapidly from a strong colony with many individuals to a colony with few or no surviving bees. Queens are found in collapsing colonies with a few young adult bees, lots of brood, and more than adequate food resources. No dead adult bees are found in the colony or outside in proximity to the colony. A unique aspect of CCD is that there is a significant delay in robbing of the dead colony by bees from other colonies or invasion by pest insects such as waxworm moths or small hive beetles; this suggests the presence of a deterrent chemical or toxin in the hive.