1. What is happening to the Honeybees?
Kristjan Nixon

2. Colony Collapse Disorder
Causes seemingly healthy bees to leave their hives, and never come back.
Has already caused nearly 1/3 of honey bee colonies is US to vanish.
Possibly caused by four different things: pesticide exposure, invasive parasitic mites, an inadequate food supply and a new virus that targets bees' immune systems.
Information for slide from the Natural Resource Defense Counsil.

3. The Causes
Varroa Mites: the Varroa mites suck blood from the adults and brood, shortening life spans.
Nosema ceranae: microsporidium N. ceranae infection can cause the sudden collapse of bee colonies, establishing a direct correlation between N. ceranae infection and the death of honeybee colonies.
Imidacloprid: A major pesticide that kills 94% of the hives it contaminates, widely used.
Sources: The University of Kentucky, the Science News, and the Wiley online Library.

4. Effects
Without bees to pollinate many of our favorite fruits and vegetables, the United States could lose $15 billion worth of crops.
Bees are prime pollinators of roughly one-third of the crop species in the U.S., including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and livestock feed such as alfalfa and clover.
Sources are the Natural Resource Defense Council and the Science Daily.