Posted in Food
Last updated 01/03/2012 at 9:36 p.m. PST
What's Killing the Bay Area's Honeybees?
With one prick, parasitic flies can begin to destroy a hive, researchers say
Is a parasite responsible for the disappearance of Bay Area honeybees? A group of California researchers posed the intriguing theory Tuesday in a study published in the journal PLoS One.
The scientists believe that a species of parasitic insect known as a phorid fly, which has long feasted on California's native bumblebee populations, could be killing Bay Area honeybees.
Click through the slideshow to see how the flies may be contributing to the collapse of honeybee colonies.
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John Upton was formerly a reporter at the Bay Citizen, where he covered water, science and the environment. johnupton@gmail.com.
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