"Infections Link To Bees Decline"

"US researchers claim to have identified a new potential cause for Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in honeybees.

The disease is responsible for wiping out many beekeepers' entire colonies over the past few years.

Scientists from the US Department of Agriculture say the pathogens to blame are a fungus and a family of viruses.

The results of the study were presented at the 110th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in San Diego, California.

Jay Evans of the USDA Agricultural Research Service, a researcher on the study, says that when these two very different pathogens show up together, "there is a significant correlation with colony decline". "

Katia Moskvitch reports for BBC News May 26, 2010.