Eighth Grader Joe McInnis Shares His Research on Bee Colony Collapse at Peconic Landing

Greenport eighth grader Joey McInnis, 14, has been working with retired Plum Island veterinary pathologist Doug Gregg to try to isolate the cause of colony collapse disorder, a worldwide problem that is plaguing bee populations.

Mr. McInnis believes iridovirus, which suppresses the immune system, could be infecting bees, who die before they can return to the colony after suffering illnesses without any immune defenses, much like humans who contract the AIDS virus.

Mr. McInnis received a $250 grant from the New York State Histotechnological Society in April, which he used to further his research, which looks into whether waxworms found in bee colonies could be transmitting the disease to mites, which spread it to the bees.