“This was an unusual case,” mycologist Geiser says. “Priorities were shifted and work undertaken long before any formal structure or system of grant-funded research could be put in place. The collapse of bee colonies across the country was a big, potential crisis and needed immediate attention. The scope of the collaboration and speed in which a scientific paper was published outlining the metagenomic survey was impressive.”

Bruce McPheron, director of Penn State's Agricultural Experiment Station, also was encouraged. “The rapid response and quality of research is a testament to the built-in capacity of our research institutions,” he says. “We hire creative people who are prepared to tackle unexpected problems. We began here with just one person focused on bees, but that did not hinder our ability to respond.” At Penn State, scientists are still looking, still responding, still working to unravel the mystery of the missing bees.

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Faculty and staff referenced in this article are Diana Cox-Foster, professor of entomology; Maryann Frazier, senior extension associate in entomology; David Geiser, associate professor of plant pathology and director of the Fusarium Research Center; Christopher Mullin, professor of entomology; Bruce McPheron, associate dean for research and graduate education and director of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station; and Dennis vanEngelsdorp, senior extension associate in entomology and acting state apiarist for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

Other Penn State researchers actively studying CCD and/or bee health include Liwang Cui, associate professor of entomology; James Frazier, professor of entomology; Edward Holmes, professor of biology and Eberly College of Science Distinguished Senior Scholar; and Nancy Ostiguy, associate professor of entomology.

This research is being supported by Hatch Act research funds from the federal government, in addition to funds from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Honey Board, and a gift from Häagen-Dazs in support of pollinator health and research.

Other institutions and agencies addressing or collaborating on various aspects of Colony Collapse Disorder include Columbia University, the University of Arizona, the University of Illinois, the University of Delaware, North Carolina State University, the University of Montana, and the United States, Pennsylvania, and Florida departments of agriculture.