A severe condition in beekeeping where adult worker bees rapidly and inexplicably disappear from a colony, leaving behind a live queen, plenty of food, and developing brood. Without the workers to forage and maintain the hive, the remaining colony quickly dies. The exact cause is treated as a complex mix of pathogens, pesticides, stress, and poor nutrition.
Heard on the job
We lost thirty percent of the apiary to colony collapse disorder this spring, just empty boxes with a queen left inside.
Also heard as
- CCD