Starting in the last three months of 2006, a seemingly new phenomenon began to occur based on reports of an "alarming" number of bee colony losses and die-off along the East Coast. By the end of 2006, beekeepers on the West Coast also began to report "unprecedented" losses.10 Because of the severity and lack of precedent, scientists coined a new term, Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), for this phenomenon.

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A new report from the Congressional Research Service outlines the mysterious deaths of bees around the country. Testimony before the House Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture yesterday suggests environmental toxins may be to blame. According to Dr. Diana Cox-Foster, a professor at Pennsylvania State University:

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.