Nutritional deficiencies, genetically modified plants, a parasitic fungus and the Varroa mite have all been identified as possible culprits behind colony collapse disorder.
"If your ribosome is compromised, then you can't respond to pesticides, you can't respond to fungal infections or bacteria or inadequate nutrition because the ribosome is central to the survival of any organism," Berenbaum said. "You need proteins to survive."
When that happens, the bees become susceptible to a number of problems that have been suspected of causing colony collapse disorder, according to the study.
Read more about the Illinois study, which was published last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences via STLToday
