New Discovery in Bee Collapse

A maggot emerges from the body of a dead bee (between the head and the thorax)

Bee hives have been dying in droves the last few years. So far, scientists have suggested viruses, fungi, and mites as causes. A new discovery shows that parasitic flies have infected many hives in California. The flies somehow insert their eggs into the bee; the maggots that hatch from the eggs take over the bee's body, consuming it and leading it to self-destructive behavior. 

"Zombie" Fly Parasite Killing Honeybees - Yahoo! News: "The parasitic fly lays eggs in a bee’s abdomen. Several days later, the parasitized bee bumbles out of the hives often at night on a solo mission to nowhere. These bees often fly toward light and wind up unable to control their own bodies. After a bee dies, as many as 13 fly larvae crawl out from the bee’s neck. "


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