Weather high bee mortality in the Netherlands

07-08-2015 23:01
The bee mortality in the Netherlands is high again. The number of bees last winter did not survive, was 18 percent, reports the Dutch bee researcher Romée van der Zee. That is double compared to last year.
 
"It means a continuation of the series of high bijensterften that we have seen over the past ten years," says the researcher. Last year was 9 percent bee mortality a positive exception.
 
Parasite
 
The death of the insects is partly caused by a parasite called the varroa mite. In 2013, the mite had little chance to develop through the cold spring, with a low bee mortality as a result.
 
To make this year we had a normal spring and the high bee mortality back, says Van der Zee. In Europe, more than 400,000 bees have been studied and it shows that make other European countries with the issue. Only Scandinavia has relatively little experience. Because of the long cold winters, the varroa mite is less likely.
 
Insecticide
 
However, researchers still have many questions. For example, beekeepers in arable areas relatively high burden of bee mortality. There are also to designate places year after year high bee mortality. It is still unclear where it comes from.
 
A recently published study by Van der Zee from 2011 shows that the high number of dead bees is also related to the use of the insecticide thiacloprid. "If we found the substance in bee populations, the risk of mortality was significantly higher in the winter," says Van der Zee.
 
Although the European Commission a few years ago three dangerous pesticides to tires, thiacloporid is still used, possibly even more, because the other pesticides have been banned.
 
Van der Zee can not exclude that there are other causes. "Something must be done to thorough investigation."
 
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