DOVER, N.H. (AP) – It’s the mystery of the disappearing honey bees.

Florence Chamberlain’s bees are missing. So are Theresa Laney’s.

The colonies at Chamberlain’s honey farm in Nottingham have 40 percent fewer bees than before the winter. Laney, of Lee, says she’s lost half her bees every year for four years. This winter she lost more than half.

“I have to consistently explain to people about why there isn’t enough honey,” she said.

So far farmers and scientists here have no answers to what’s happening, just clues and hunches.

The cause could be an illness-causing pathogen, chemical contamination, parasites, malnutrition, erratic weather, stress from transportation or genetic weaknesses due to breeding. Another possibility is a condition called “colony collapse disorder” which has shown up in Canada, Europe and 24 other states. In colonies affected by the disorder, there are no dead bodies to explain the loss of bees – they simply disappear – and the remaining one show mysterious symptoms.

State entomologist Tom Durkis said it’s not clear whether sudden collapse disorder has invaded New Hampshire honey bee colonies yet, but he’s certain it will.

“Inevitably it will get here,” he said.

Alan Eaton, a specialist in entomology at University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, agrees.

“It may be that it’s here and we just don’t know it,” Eaton said.

Laney noted that she has not seen any dead bees in her colonies, despite the massive loss.

“It kind of occurred to me there were no dead,” she said.

Amy Robinson, president of the Seacoast Beekeepers’ Association, says her group is already worried about the disorder.

“The entire beekeeping industry is at stake,” she said.

Opinion is divided over the cause of the bees’ disappearance. Nottingham beekeeper Chamberlain, who uses her bees to pollinate farmers’ crops and make honey, suspects genetic weakness.

There are about 2,000 beekeepers in New Hampshire, Durkis said.

He said researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are investigating the problem of disappearing bees, and he is relying on them for an answer. He said there’s no money in New Hampshire to pay for research or inspections.

Eaton said honey bees already face significant threats from parasites.

“If we were to lose even more than we already have, it’s going to affect our ability to pollinate crops,” he said.

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Information from: Foster’s Daily Democrat, http://www.fosters.com