Bee colony collapse still a mystery

In November 2006, a Pennsylvania beekeeper preparing to winter in Florida reported the unexplained disappearance of two-thirds of his hives.

Six months later, "Colony Collapse Disorder," as science has named a phenomenon recorded in two dozen states, has affected some 700,000 hives, including as much as a third of the bee population of Florida.

This is not the first time an epidemic of bee die-offs has occurred in the U.S., but it is by far the largest, prompting investigations into a variety of possible causes, from disease to pesticides to global warming.

Because bee pollination is so vital to the American agricultural industry -- a third of the national diet comes from foods dependent upon it -- some have warned of potentially dire consequences for apiculture, bee farming, in the United States.

While alarmed, industry leaders have so far urged beekeepers not to panic.

"I would characterize it as serious," said Daniel Weaver, president of the American Beekeeping Federation, in an interview about Colony Collapse Disorder with the Washington Post in February.

"Whether it threatens the apiculture industry in the United States or not, that's up in the air."