WAILUKU >> A state  agriculture specialist is traveling to Maui to investigate why honeybees are surviving on Maui and Kauai while they are disappearing in record numbers across the rest of the nation.

The Maui News reported Wednesday that Department of Agriculture specialist Danielle Downey plans to meet with beekeepers to conduct a survey and inspection of bees and their hives.

Scientists don’t completely understand the phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder.

Downey asked beekeepers to watch out for nonnative mites and beetles, which carry diseases with the potential to kill off hives or entire colonies. So far, the bugs haven’t been spotted on Maui or Kauai.