MEXICO: The sharp decline in honeybees has been linked with a change in the foraging behaviour of young bees brought on by some kind of environmental stress such as parasitic attacks or pesticides, a study has found.
When honeybees are under stress they respond by sending out the youngest and most inexperienced worker bees to forage for food, and these bees are more likely to die prematurely than older workers that started to forage later in life, scientists said.
The cause of colony collapse disorder is still largely unknown, and many scientists believe it is the result of several factors interacting with one another, including exposure to agricultural pesticides and attacks by bee parasites.
Researchers found the suddenness of a colony’s collapse appears to be related to a change in foraging behaviour whereby younger workers leave the hive in search of food rather than gaining more experience in the safety of the nest, scientists said.
