Like millions of Americans, I spent a chunk of my holiday weekend in front of a barbecue grill. And I might have unintentionally opened myself up to a growing international crime spree in the process...

Swine flu has been the big world health story, but bees have their own worldwide illness. The mystery malady of colony collapse disorder (CCD) is taking its toll all over the world. And while there was seemingly good news that Argentinean researchers see some growth in world colony numbers, it has been more than overshadowed by much darker news. Just like H1N1, CCD is sweeping working its way around the globe with new reports of honey bee populations being quickly decimated in Japan. Press reports note that up to 50% of the country's bees have disappeared.

Researchers here and in Europe continue to wrestle with the causes of the disorder, which has resulted in record bee die-offs since it first appeared in 2006. Since then, U.S. beekeepers have been reporting losing an average of 33 percent of their hives for unknown reasons, according to government estimates. In the meantime, a bevy of sources are being investigated for links to CCD, including some pesticides.

All of this helps to explain a new international crime spree: honey laundering...

I'm not making that up.

The market share of domestic honey sales have fallen off by nearly 40% in the last two decades. And now, with fewer colonies in some parts of the country, there's a potentially lucrative opening in the already huge honey business. And unscrupulous traders have already begun cashing in by flooding the market with less-than-stellar sweet stuff. Honey cut with sugary water, or tainted with drugs (like the banned antibiotic chloramphenicol which can cause a fatal blood condition in humans), are becoming more common.  The Seattle Post-Intelligencer found importers masking the country of origin  for their products to avoid tariffs and slide contaminated products onto unsuspecting store shelves. Recent arrests in Chicago help illustrate the scope of the problem.

Now that grilling season has officially begun, think about your bee buddies who are responsible for the bounty at your table. Not only is honey in a lot of barbecue and basting sauces, but much of the stuff you toss on the fire was pollinated by bees. Whether it is asparagus, the alfalfa fed to beef cows, the avocados in your guac, or strawberries at desert, you probably enjoyed bee-reliant food over the holiday weekend. That shows just how important it is that we find a way to deal with CCD quickly to keep our Ag economy humming along...

But in the meantime, there's plenty you and I can do to limit the honey market for the bad guys. There has been a bipartisan effort to strengthen federal regulations around honey importation in the U.S. Senate---let your representatives know that the FDA should move these efforts forward. And, of course, its always best to buy local---ensure you are getting quality stuff by purchasing locally-produced honey (you can find local honey producers online or at buy it at local farmer's markets).

Honeybee photo by BugMan50 on Flickr