Beginning in October 2006, some beekeepers began reporting losses of 30 percent to 90 percent of their hives. While colony losses are not unexpected during winter weather, the magnitude of loss suffered by some beekeepers was highly unusual.

 

This phenomenon, which currently does not have a recognizable underlying cause, has been termed "Colony Collapse Disorder" (CCD). The main symptom of CCD is simply having no adult honey bees or a low number of them present but with a live queen and no dead honey bees in the hive. Often there is still honey in the hive, and immature bees (brood) are present. (Source: USDA / Photo: Flickr)