# CCD thought involving ants



## yoyo (Jun 13, 2007)

I am a new beek, so maybe this is a stupid question or maybe it has already been investigated. My question is this, can ants ( fire ants in particular) be a contributable factor in spreading disease, and maybe play a part in the CCD thing. Here where I live, ( eastern NC) fire ants have been on a northern trek and have only been here for about 14 years give or take a year or two. The first year I had fire ants. I battled 22 mounds of them on a 2 acre feild. After a year or two, and a few cans of Orthene, there are only one or two mounds to be found on the property ( 5 acres ). They seemed to move thru here like front lines of a battle feild on their spread northward. I also saw that there was a little knat being developed to lay eggs on the ant and a larve would eventually eat the ant. I don't know how this worked out, but I do feel there could be something to think about here.


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## FANNBEE (Jun 19, 2007)

I remember when I was four and being stung all over my arms by fire ants. That was 1960. I have hated them ever since.


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## BjornBee (Feb 7, 2003)

yoyo,

On a parallel thought, I had discussions with a few beekeepers awhile back about roaches. As a casual observation, it was noted how some hives have a good population of roaches. Yes, a colony always seems to have ants, spiders, and about everything else. And in nature, feral colonies are exposed to the same.

But if you think about the many deseases, whether viral or baterial, that we as humans can, and do catch, when conditions are correct or the threashhold of some sort is broken, can we assume the same for bees? What about roach feces? Or the feces of SHB, wax moths or anything else? Bees have no hands. They use their mouth parts to pick up dropping, clean the inner hive, feed, and groom each other. I would think the bees could be very susceptable to any outside viral and bacterial medium brought into the hive.

We as humans can contract a host of deseases from bites of insects (mosquito, ticks, etc.), we also catch a host of deseases from coming in contact with feces of bats, rats, and many other examples. We(humans) have immune systems but when in contact with the right source for viral and bateria conditions or exposure, many deseases can be contracted. As with many others species, "dirty" or tainted food sources, feces, and other items, can and do transmit a host of deseases.

So what about the bees? It would only seem highly likely that outside influences would play a part. I think the theory or model you (yoyo) are thinking about has merit. Not sure about ants however. If I had the time to research it, I think there would be more chance that roaches or other insects would be a the culprit.

Of course, now that someone has made some comments about something like this, I am sure we will here about "someone's" thoughts on the subject being published in a bee mag sometime soon. Seems a few items discussed on beesource has made an article for some opportunistic rip-off artist.


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## yoyo (Jun 13, 2007)

I just hope that someday someone CAN claim fame to solving the CCD mystery. I also know that in my neck of the woods, there have always been agricultural practices that should never have happened. In the old days, everyone had a well and pump in the yard for water. I remember dad would back the water trailor next to the well and mix chemicals in the tank and throw the empty containers down on the ground right next to the well. This was a common sight and not a single instance. Then latter, the containers would be gathered up and hauled off to the trash dump in the woods next to the swamp and dumped on the ground. Now, roughly 50 years latter, this county is one of the top counties in NC for cancer. Hindsight IS 20-20. There are still things like this happening despite the warnings, laws and fines. I have also been told by a very reliable source, that there are very nasty things in the county owned water system, to the point he did not recommend drinking it. Without any smoking guns, it will take everyone's input and fact-gatherings to solve this thing, or at least fine the "straw that broke the camels back" as far as the bees are concerned.


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