Virus, fungus new suspects in bee colony collapse

WASHINGTON — Researchers have a pair of new suspects in the mysterious collapse of honey bee colonies across the country.

The widespread damage to the bees has caused concern because the insects are needed to pollinate scores of crops.

Researchers are not positive it’s the cause yet, but they say samples collected from hives affected by the syndrome indicate the presence of a virus as well as a fungus. The two pathogens were not found in bee colonies not affected by the disorder.

The researchers report their findings in Wednesday’s edition of the journal PLoS ONE. The analysis of the bees was done at the Army’s Edgewood Chemical Biological Center at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland.