The US House Appropriations Committee approved $780,000 for research on Colony collapse disorder after a hearing yesterday.  Farmers and businesspeople talked about the current and potential concerns.  In an article by the AP and McClatchy Newspapers, 

"A record 36 percent of U.S. commercial bee colonies have been lost so far this year and worse may be yet to come, experts told the panel."

"Possible explanations for the disorder, first reported in 2006, include pesticides; a new parasite or pathogen; and the combination of immunity-suppressing stresses such as poor nutrition, limited or contaminated water supplies, and the need to move bees long distances for pollination."

The Congressional panel heard from "farmers with troubled crops, from beekeepers struggling with lost hives, from frustrated researchers and even from corporate leaders worried about their own economic futures", according to another article by the Chicago Tribune.

The five-year farm bill recently approved authorizes $20 million in new funding for bee-related studies.   Private companies impacted by bees are also contributing.  Haagen-Dazs, the Oakland, Calif.-based ice cream company, has recently pledged $250,000 for bee-related research at the University of California at Davis and Pennsylvania State University.   They are clear that they have a significant interest.  Forty percent of their flavors are impacted  by the need for pollination. 

Also testifying was the president and chief executive officer of Burt's Bees, a cosmetics company based in Durham, N.C.  Burt's Bees uses bee materials or bee-pollinated ingredients in nearly all its products, from eye cream to lip balm.

"Next month, the Agriculture Department expects to announce a new $4.1 million, four-year bee research project spanning multiple universities."