Agriculture Industry

Jones · Guest

I believe it at least possible that the mandate for use of low sulfur
diesel fuel introduced in the fall of 2006 is responsible for the
substantial loss of European honeybees. The loss of colonies is
principally (entirely?) a phenomenon limited to bees that are
transported around the country on diesel fueled vehicles. A study
from 1980 by Ginevan, Lane & Greenberg (see:

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=350122&tools=bot

)

indicates that low levels of exposure to sulfur dioxide reduces flight
activity in male sweat bees. Commercial colonies, which have had such
exposure for many generations of bees during periods of
transportation, may have evolved to adapt to a level of sulfur
dioxide, however. Accordingly, the sudden removal of sulfur dioxide
from the environment of the commercial colonies may have disrupted
their flight activity.