The Silence of the Bees

9.05.2009 Leave a Comment

Back in 2006, when global warming was the newest trend, new reports of the alarming disappearance of honeybees surfaced and were soon christened CCD, or colony collapse disorder. And since that date, up to one-third of the world's honeybee colonies have vanished. Scientists have been quick to give a reason: global warming, mites, destruction of habitat, and, more recently, viruses and even cell phone towers (the Times of India claims the electromagnetic emissions are to blame. And they may all be right. Last week, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published an article saying that the silence of the bees may be caused by multiple pathogens fatal to the bees. According to the study, the genetic makeup of the CCD-affected honeybees was actually mutated and changed from that of unaffected bees.

Why the big deal? Honeybees are actually a $15 million business, responsible for pollinating America's farmlands. Author Rowan Jacobson, who penned Fruitless Fall, a post-Silent Spring environmental book about honeybees and CCD, says that without honeybees, our food supply is sure to suffer. He recommends looking to times before domestic honeybees were injected with chemicals and bred to be more efficiant pollinators to solve our crisis. Lucky for us, the bee's vanishing may be dying down: The Apiary Inspectors of America report that the deaths of honeybees are down 30% since the crisis first occured. Otherwise, the honey-filled days of Winnie the Pooh will only have been a myth to our children.

photo via Phil Hawkins/Bloomberg News

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