Disorder of the day

Colony Collapse Disorder, referring to bee colonies. From Wikipedia:


Symptoms

A colony which has collapsed from CCD is generally characterized by:

• Complete absence of adult bees in colonies, with no or little build-up of dead bees in or in front of the colonies.
• Presence of capped brood in colonies. Bees normally will not abandon a hive until the capped brood have all hatched.
• Presence of food stores, both honey and bee pollen:
• i. which is not immediately robbed by other bees
• ii. when attacked by hive pests such as wax moth and small hive beetle, the attack is noticeably delayed.
  

Possible causes and research

While the exact mechanisms of CCD are unknown, pathogens, pesticides or mite associations are suspected as causative agents. Whether any single factor is responsible, or a combination of factors (acting independently in different areas affected by CCD, or acting in tandem), is still unknown; it is likewise still uncertain whether this is a genuinely new phenomenon, as opposed to a known phenomenon that previously only had a minor impact.

UPDATE: I've done a bit more work on the subject since the original post. The Wikipedia page has also changed significantly. Bottom line: bees pollinate some 30% of the food produced in this country, but tens of billions of bees have not returned to the hive after foraging. They either went lost or, more likely, were killed by pest or disease. Without bees, there is no pollination, and therefore no food. It is a problem, but not one without solutions, and certainly not one that merits Armageddonspeak.