About the uncommon bee losses.: Literature review

Pollination activity of honeybees carries vital importance for both the sustainable environment and agricultural productivity throughout the world. There are extensive concerns about the future of the honeybee (Apis mellifera), mostly because of recent, sudden colony losses across the continental U.S., and several European countries. Since there is public interest in the issue, there is an ongoing, recurring media coverage. The U.S. Congress scheduled a special public hearing on the issue (1), and the New York Times and the Science Magazine also discuss the phenomenon regularly. Alarmists have begun to call it,bee AIDS" and are predicting the extinction of humankind, as a consequence. Although causes of the symptoms called,colony collapse disorder" are not clear yet, the author summarizes the conclusions that can be drawn from the preliminary analyses.