Across the nation, beekeepers have seen hive after hive succumb to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD); a team of entomologists and infectious disease researchers, including Diana Cox-Foster and her team, now report a strong correlation between the occupancy of CCD and a virus, Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IVAP). "We have not proven a causal relationship between any infectious agent and CCD," the researchers report in the Sept. 6 issue of Science Express online. However, they note that the prevalence of IAPV genetic material in bees suffering from CCD, the timing of the outbreaks and the geographical circumstances "indicate that IAPV is a significant marker for CCD."

A photo gallery of images from Cox-Foster's laboratory is available at http://live.psu.edu/stilllife/1425 online.