Zombie Bees
Science fiction has met reality as parasitic flies are turning honeybees into zombies. In a new twist to the ongoing research of colony collapse, scientists are now investigating the fly, Apocephalus borealis, which appears to parasitize honeybees by climbing into their stomachs and controlling their brains.
The process is simple but deadly. After climbing in, the parasitic fly lays eggs in the abdomen of the bee. A few days later, the infected bee stumbles out of the hive on a “solo mission to nowhere.” The bee is unable to control its own body and often makes a mad dash, flying toward light. When the bee dies, up to 13 fly larvae crawl out from the bee’s neck.
Bees from the affected hives, as well as the parasite flies, have contained genetic traces of another parasite, Nosema cerane, as well as a virus that has already been implicated in colony collapse, which causes deformed wings. This raises the possibility that these flies are spreading these additional threats to the hives.
The A. borealis fly has been at work taking over bees in three distinctly different geographical areas. There has been evidence linking colony collapse to pesticides, viruses, fungi, and mites, but even if they aren't the sole cause, it would seem the flies are a definite threat.
Image by kaibara87 on Flickr Courtesy of Creative Commons License
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- 1-12-12
- Caitlin McGrory's blog
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They are not zombies--they are very, very sick
Good morning Caitlin,
I have been following the plight of these wondrous insects and what scientists have been hypothesizing since Colony Collapse Disorder came across my radar in late 2006. From everything I have read over the years, there is still no clear indication of any one source being the cause.
Scientists the world over have argued viruses, pesticides, genetically modified food sources, parasites; overuse by commercial farmers, lack of plant varieties in their diets ...the list goes on with no two investigators completely agreeing.
The only common finding is this: These ladies are starving themselves.
In all the findings, it is the only clear common indicator of CCD. The fact that they are leaving their hives to wander off never to return, in such mass exodus in nearly the exact same timeline on every continent, should be more of a concern for everyone collectively. Yet no one seems to be able to get to the source of the problem or acknowledge the relationship.
It is my opinion that these invasive and destructive flies latching on to these weakened hosts are another result of an already decimated population. The articles coming out regarding A. Borealis from industry (science), is yet another “probably—could be—maybe”.
These latest “findings” appear to me to be another guy in a white suit trying to get his name out there. There is no support for this latest “guess”.
Even further disturbing to me are the millions of “little” and “big” brown bats that have experienced massive die offs from what science has deemed “White Nose Syndrome”. In Albany, New York they began to see this fungus, also in 2006, begin to kill off our natural pest protectors, and we have since seen it spread throughout the cavern systems of the entire Northeastern United States.
It is now making its way across the Midwest.
Again, science cannot come up with a source of “why”, although they are recently saying that they believe there is a “where” it originated (not here, of course).
The common result of this virus against these poor creatures: starvation.
I have extrapolated my own unpublished theory on these phenomena and insofar as I have seen, it hasn’t been considered by anyone. I have been waiting to see someone brainstorm the idea in the science community (I don’t hold a degree in the field), but it is so radical, it probably wouldn’t even be considered...
Finally, it is my opinion that what CCD and White Nose Syndrome indicate are symptoms. All of what they think is happening is big, fat results of a much deeper (and worldwide) dis-ease.
Regardless of who eventually gets it right, I am thankful for one thing and that is this: At least the scientists involved thus far haven’t rushed in with an attempt to control the situation potentially wreaking havoc on yet another unsuspecting niche. They are being cautious and that may well be the very best thing to come of all of this.
The rest of us should be listening to the bells and whistles and of the planet and saying our prayers for our nature’s helpers.
The Karma of Plague
Since the present humanistic mentality will simply not let go of it's destructive mind set ... taking all of nature with it ... well little by little "plague-like" symptomologies will likely begin to come into play as we are all truely connected and no matter how it happens humans will be greatly stressed/distressed in their very means of survival if they don't get it together, if in fact it is not already too late to reverse such karma.
"Wonder is what Mystery would do if it was conscious" ...
"Wandering is for every other possibility"
Pippalayana Muni
In 1923 Rudolf Steiner predicted the dire state of the honeybee
Mr. Müller rebelled vehemently and showed no understanding, however, when Steiner explained the intricacies of the queen bee, mentioning that the modern method of breeding queens (using the larvae of worker bees, a practice that had already been in use for about fifteen years) would have long-term detrimental effects—so grave that “a century later all breeding of bees would cease, if only artificially produced bees were used” (appendix, extract, Nov. 10, p. 177–178). The answer came in another lecture: It is quite correct that we can’t determine this today; it will have to be delayed until a later time. Let’s talk to each other again in one hundred years, Mr. Müller, then we’ll see what kind of opinion you’ll have at that point.
http://www.beekeeping.com/new/books/steiner.htm