Oregon State University studying 'enigmatic disease' killing honeybees

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregon State University is teaming up with researchers from around the country to study a disease killing honeybees and impacting pollination of specialty crops.

Starting in February, researchers will begin a four-year study on the high incidence of European foulbrood disease -- a disease caused by bacteria infecting honeybees at the larval stage, “turning the newly hatched bee larvae into brown mush within a few days,” OSU says.

In recent years, the disease has been on the rise and is causing persistent honeybee colony declines, the university says. Researchers point out this is especially hurting beekeepers who pollinate early-season specialty crops such as highbush blueberries.

“It’s an enigmatic disease. We understand the basics, but we don’t know why this disease flares up some years and then goes down,” said Project Director Ramesh Sagili, a professor in OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences. “Researchers have done smaller targeted studies of this disease, but no one has really investigated it comprehensively with a large-scale, longitudinal study.”

During the study, researchers will follow honeybee hives as they are transported by commercial beekeepers to pollinate almonds and then blueberries in Washington, Oregon, California, and Mississippi. OSU says they will tag 1,536 hives for observation.

When researchers find signs of foulbrood, they will send samples to a lab for genetic testing to determine if certain strains of the bacteria are more pervasive than others. Pollen traps will also be installed to determine whether the quantity or diversity of pollen plays a role in the hives’ susceptibility of foulbrood.

OSU says researchers are also considering climate factors, including impacts of temperature and humidity and the prevalence of foulbrood.

In the last two years of the study, researchers will study mitigation techniques for beekeepers including when to apply antibiotics to hives, the most effective time to split colonies, and how often to replace honeycomb.

“The beekeeping industry and specialty crop producers such as blueberry and almond growers are really excited about this grant,” Sagili said. “It’s a huge, multidisciplinary collaborative effort with the states, the beekeepers and the farmers involved in this project.”

OSU received a $4.2 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture for the study and is working with researchers from Washington State University, the University of California, Davis, and Mississippi State University.

Field work will start in California in February, where beekeepers from across the United States bring hives to pollinate almonds as one of the first crops of the year.