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OXFORD — Butler County made large-scale beekeeping possible, when L.L. Langstroh invented the modern bee hive in Oxford more than 150 years ago.

Now with honeybees across the globe threatened by parasitic varroa mites and the mysterious colony collapse disorder, another man from Oxford is working to make sure honeybees will be around for generations to come.

The chief concern is pollination, says Alex Zomchek who runs a software company during the day but dedicates his off hours to studying the honeybees he keeps at the Miami University Ecology Research Center.

Farmers rely on bees to pollinate almonds, fruits, berries and vegetables and every summer thousands of hives are trucked across the U.S. to pollinate crops.

"They're the only thing that can pollinate on that scale," Zomchek said of the honeybees. "If you want to have American crops you've got to have American bees."

Wild honeybees have been around for 150 million years and were abundant until 15 years ago when varroa mites, which live off honeybee blood, began destroying colonies across the U.S.

Now the number of wild colonies is statistically zero, Zomchek said.

"In order for colonies to survive today we have to treat them," he said. "Smoke and incense isn't going to do it."

Beekeepers are on the third tier of mite-killing chemicals with only one tier left, he said.

American beekeepers may be using more potent chemicals to control the mites but at least here the chemicals have all been tested for safety in humans. Chinese beekeepers, which supply much U.S. honey are under less stringent controls, Zomchek said.

Two years ago, the bees got hit with another disease, colony collapse disorder. Ohio honeybee keepers lost an average of 60 percent of their hives to the disorder over the 2006-2007 winter, according to a study by the Apiary Inspectors of America. This winter fewer colonies collapsed, but local beekeepers still felt the disorder's impact.

Zomchek lost nine colonies and Don Popps, who keeps about 200 hives across Butler, Warren and Preble Counties, reported losses of about 15 percent.

"Colonies are collapsing and we don't know why," Zomchek said. "We don't know which ones are sick."

Zomchek's research at Miami is aimed at improving our understanding of honeybees. He's developed a hive that will allow scientists to measure fluctuations in temperature throughout the day and monitor the number of bees flying in and out at any moment.

He's also developing a screen that will allow beekeepers to control varroa mites without using chemicals by trapping the pest's larva.

"I just don't think we know enough yet," he said. "It's going to fall on our shoulders to solve this."

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2511 or dwells@coxohio.com.

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