Reference no: EM132438897

Honeybees play an important role in agriculture, by pollinating at least 90 different species of food plants, worth about 15 billion dollars in the U.S. alone. As a result, beekeeping or apiculture, is a multi-million dollar business. However, over the last year, honey bee populations are crashing (Colony Collapse Disorder) with hives dying off in less than a week, without an obvious cause. Ian Lipkin, a senior researcher in the Epidemiology (infectious disease) Department of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health believed the cause to be a pathogen (virus, bacteria or fungus) of some sort. Use the information given to answer the following questions.

a. What is the hypothesis? (Hint, it is already given)

b. Help Dr. Limpkin design an experiment to test this hypothesis. (Be sure you can explain how you are going to conduct the test and predict what the results will be if they support the experiment.) You are not to create the data for your results section.

c. If your hypothesis is to be supported, what should the data indicate?

d. If your hypothesis is disproven, what should the data indicate?