First ‘Zombie Bee’ Discovered by Beekeeper In Eastern United States

A professor from San Francisco State University by the name of John Hafernik discovered the first "zombie bees" in 2008. They are bred when an Apocephalus borealis fly attaches itself to a bee, injecting its eggs inside of it. These eggs grow inside the bee and are believed to cause neurological damage that results in erratic, jerky movement and night activity, similar to a zombie.

Anthony Cantrell, a beekeeper in Burlington, Vermont, has been the first to discover the zombie bee in the eastern part of the United States. Previously, Professor Hafernik and his team of colleagues were tracking zombie bee spread in the few states that had confirmed their presence: California, Washington, Oregon and South Dakota. But none had been found this far east--until now.

It's been tough for beekeepers like Cantrell. In Vermont they face mite infestations, extreme temperature swings, and possibilities of colony collapse. Now some of his bees have been infected by the Apocephalus borealis flies, which have only previously affected bumblebees.

After being infected, the bees die only hours after showing the symptoms. What's more unfortunate is that the Vermont Agency of Agriculture had already predicted increased bee deaths this year due to wild temperature swings. They now plan to investigate the presence of zombie bees and how they may affect the bee population.

May Berenbaum, a University of Illinois entomologist further notes that although the zombie bees pose a threat, it is not nearly the biggest concern for the bee population.

"Given the way bee populations have become so homogenized and how they are shipped cross country to aid in pollenating, the first Eastern infection of the zombie fly makes sense," she said. "It's not surprising; it's certainly not good news. There are so many pathogens and parasites that we're aware of that are affecting bees." She elaborates for upon the subject in this Fox News article.

On top of the already plentiful factors that beekeepers must be aware of, the zombie bee problem has been added to the list.

To read more about this, visit this Fox News article.