The culprit behind the mass wiping out of the Asian honeybees from many countries, is now trying its merciless perdition on those in Europe – no, its no human, but a notorious parasite nosema ceranae.
The alarming disappearance of the honeybees can be felt well in Guadalajara, the province east of Madrid — the heartland of Spain’s honey industry.
Though initially it was thought to be pesticides that are leading to the bees’ disappearance, it was later found to be the microscopic parasite as pesticide traces was found to be present only in a tiny proportion of samples as well as bee colonies.
Like birds, even the bees are thought to be effected by mobile phone aerials. But, since bees use the sun’s angle for navigation and not electromagnetic frequencies, this theory has also been ruled out.
The easily noticeable varroa mite has also been ruled out as was found absent in most of the affected hives.
The nosema ceranae is presently feared to have infected 50 percent of the Spanish hives. But, thanks to the treatment for nosema ceranae. It’s both effective and cheap, needing just 1 euro ($1.4) to treat a hive twice a year.
But, what is hindering the treatment is the beekeepers’ getting convinced about the parasite’s being the culprit. But, by the time it is confirmed or they are convinced, the hope the honey industry does not collapse and reach a point of no-return.