WSU to study bee disease

Washington State University researchers will spend nearly $200,000 over the next two years to study causes and possible treatments of a bee disease called colony collapse disorder.

Money for the research is coming from donations from Northwest beekeepers and associations, as well as dedicated funds from the WSU Agricultural Research Center.

The Washington State Beekeepers Association estimates that between 35 percent and 50 percent of the state’s beehives have been lost to the disease in recent years. Bees help pollinate eight of the state’s top 10 crops.

Eric Olson of Yakima contributed to the WSU research after losing 4,000 hives worth more than $1 million this spring. Olson and WSU entomology professor Steve Sheppard are working on a large-scale colony health survey.