Naming a Bee Epidemic

At the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Bee Research Lab in Beltsville, Maryland, Research Leader Jeff Pettis coined the term, "Colony Collapse Disorder," in 2006 to describe the abrupt die-offs of bee hives experienced by beekeepers in the United States. Today, Pettis thinks that a more descriptive name for the affliction is "Colony Collapse Syndrome."
Although Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) still affects bee stock across the country, the syndrome accounts for only about 30 percent of total bee losses each year. A 2013 USDA and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report listed multiple factors playing a role in honey bee colony declines, including parasites and disease, genetics, poor nutrition and pesticide exposure.
One positive effect of CCD, Pettis says, is that the publicity it generated has made the public more aware of the importance of bees to food production while igniting new interest in beekeeping.