Researchers have shared that zombie bees have been seen along the West Coast and more recently in some Eastern states. Along with this, they unveiled that honeybees are also abandoning their hives. Researchers said that they might know the link between the two.

Researchers said that Apocephalus borealis flies may be depositing eggs in the bees’ stomach, changing their behaviour. The theory is when flies put maggots in bees’ abdomen then the bees fly erratically in uncharacteristic night flights. Generally, the bees get excited by porch lights and fall dead.

Zombie bees abandon their hives in colony collapse disorder (CCD). But researchers said that they are not sure if they can link the phenomenon to the disorder. The US Environmental Protection Agency is of the view that main reasons behind CCD are invasive mites and pesticide poisoning.

Dr. John Hafernik, a biology professor at San Francisco State University, said, “We’re not making a case that this is the doomsday bug for bees. But it is certainly an interesting situation where we have a parasite that seems to affect the behavior of bees and has them essentially abandoning their hive”.

Dr. Hafernik was of the view that if more research is carried out on the parasitic flies apocephalus borealis then it may help prevent the spread into regions of the world. For now, the researchers are not complete sure about if the fly has an impact on colony productivity or a role in CCD.

"You know, the 'zombie' thing is a little bit sensational and some people hear that and they go right into alarm bells ringing," Naughton said. "Where the state of things are right now is mostly just fact finding."