wugongliang submitted, created time 1 year 2 months (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)

A virus linked to the strange disappearance of honeybees did not arrive in the United States via recently imported Australian hives, according to a new genetic analysis. Instead, the virus has been present here since at least 2001. "On the face of it, it seems to let the Australians off the hook," says entomologist Nicholas Calderone of Cornell University. But he and others stress that much remains to be learned before the role of the virus in colony collapse is clear.

Keywords: agriculture colony collapse insects bees viruses honeybees