In a curious twist on the usual story on how insects spread human diseases, us humans are propagating a virus that deforms the wings of bees. And like most modern disease stories, this one is international, thanks to the commercial transport of honeybee colonies around the world.
Bees are needed to pollinate plants, but bees are also on dying all over the world. The answer, of course, is to make a buck by shipping bee colonies from place to place, where they will go about their busy-business of pollination, before being shipped off to the next venue. It’s like a national or international tour, only with bees instead of rock stars, and the mite Varroa destructor in place of groupies.
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