Vanishing of the Bees

I've been aware of the honey bee mystery for some time. Most of us have heard this story of how entire colonies of bees are disappearing without a trace. Named Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD, it would pique my curiosity for the moment, cause me to say, "Huh, wonder where they went?", and then I'd forget about it again.

Well, one of our daughters brought this movie to my attention. It's called, "Vanishing of the Bees".

I watched it today, hoping that I could finally know the answers to the mystery. It is a thorough documentary, beginning with the discovery of the missing colonies, one bee keeper's quest for answers, and a serious problem that is world wide in scope. I really didn't anticipate where the culprit(s) would be found and at first the movie surprised me in this respect. Now that I have given it some thought, I'm not surprised at all.

I'll give you more than a hint. SYSTEMIC PESTICIDES.

In a nutshell, this film tells us that the chemicals the E.P.A. approves for use as pesticides, particularly those that are systemic, along with genetically engineered crops will cause us to eventually pay the price for so-called"cheap food". What farmers used to grow at 75 bushels per acre they can now grow at 150 bushels per acre. At this rate, in twenty years it will be 300 bushels per acre. Quantity is viewed as success. But what does it do to the quality of those crops? And should whether it makes us sick be secondary?

The disappearance of the pollinators, such as the honey bees, stinging insects and bats, are an indicator that something is very wrong with the habitat. I liken this to the old habit of miners carrying a canary into the mines to give forewarning if a noxious gas is present. We should listen to the bees. As one commentater said, "It is an unmistakable sign that our food system is unsustainable."

I highly recommend the film. As usual when it comes to our food, it contained a lot of information that I was unaware of. There are many grassroots efforts that all of us can play a part in in remedying the situation. One of the organic bee keepers interviewed in the movie is from Floyd, VA. Just a hop, skip and a jump from here. One of the main things I took away from the movie, "Vote with your fork."