According to a New Study

A research team at Columbia was awarded a $4 million research grant for the year 2008 to investigate the mysterious sudden decline in U.S. bee colonies, according to Columbia’s Office of Public Affairs.

Researchers have named the phenomenon “colony collapse disorder,” but as of yet, there are few clues as to why the bees are disappearing.

The Colony Collapse Disorder Working Group at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health joined forces last April with Penn State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and other institutions to investigate the increased in bee deaths, which reportedly number into the billions.

Leading the research team is Dr. Ian Lipkin, director of the Greene Infectious Disease Laboratory at the Mailman School’s department of epidemiology, who in the past has conducted research on the Ebola virus as well as SARS. The New York Times reports that possible theories for the bee epidemic include cell phone usage, pesticides, or a virus tracked in to the United States by the importation of Australian honeybees.

Lipkin and his team are investigating whether pathogens might be responsible, analyzing all microbes and viruses found in CCD colonies. They believe that if a pathogen is the culprit, it is most likely one that is relatively new to the bee population.

While the disorder could endanger U.S. crops to the tune of nearly $15 billion in losses, the impact on Long Island alone could be devastating, reported the New York Times. It cited a potential loss $100 billion a year if the trend continues, as one-third of Long Island’s crops depends on bee pollination.