Building a better bee

Given all that honeybees have been through lately -- especially the worrisome declines due to CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder), also known as SHHD (Sudden Honeybee Hive Disappearance) -- and given the importance of honeybees to the general agricultural world order -- it's not surprising that Canadian scientists have undertaken a project to genetically engineer a better, faster, stronger honeybee.


Canada seeks to breed a better honeybee

Honey bees are critical to global agriculture. They pollinate more than 100 different crops, representing up to $83 billion in crop value world wide each year and roughly one-third of the human diet.

[Like I said, they are vital to the agricultural world order.]

"We're looking for bees (for the breeding program) that are resistant to mites and with a greater tolerance to viruses because these appear to be the two main factors behind colony loss," Rob Currie, entomology professor at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, told AFP.