More Bees Please!

have always loved bees. Okay, that sounds strange, but it's mostly true. Actually, perhaps it's been more that I have a great respect for them. At age five, I had my first experience with the awesome powers of swarms of those angry hive-dwellers. One day, in the summer, my dad accidentally knocked down a nest and ran back to the house in a panic. Not realizing why he was running so fast, he ran into the house and was covered (covered!) in bees. My sister pushed me out of the kitchen, and all you could hear was the "Whap" and "smack" as she hit my dad over and over again, trying to kill the bees... dying of curiosity, I watched through the keyhole from the living room. It was so funny to see my sister hitting my dad with the fly-swatter, I laughed until I cried.
Bees seemed to be so neat! I would watch them pollenate the fruit trees and their buzzing was always a happy sound for me. Even when I got stung the first time (I was 13) I burst into tears. But it wasn't because I had been stung--nooo--it was a bumblebee and I knew he had stung me and was going to die. I ran with his little bee body carefully cradled in my hand to my mom and cried.
A couple of years ago, it seemed as though (for the first time in years) that there weren't as many bees as there had been when I was a child and was thinking it was because I don't live on a farm anymore (and clearly not in Oregon) but then someone (a really smarty pants-I'm so jealous) told me what's going on.
He explained to me that the bees are dying! Dying?!? Bees? Bees are part of our delicate eco-system. Had our stupid ways finally caught up to us? Apparently, our bee friends are dying in crazy numbers and the sad thing is, they don't know why.
According to one article, "What's causing the carnage, however, is a total mystery; all that scientists have come up with so far is a new name for the phenomenon - Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) - and a list of symptoms." The article goes on to state, "In hives hit by CCD, adult workers simply fly away and disappear, leaving a small cluster of workers and the hive's young to fend for themselves. Adding to the mystery, nearby predators, such as the wax moth, are refraining from moving in to pilfer honey and other hive contents from the abandoned hives; in CCD-affected hives the honey remains untouched..."
Now, it doesn't take a genius to be completely alarmed at this rapid decline in the bee population. It seems strange that we don't even know what's causing it, but experts think that it might be caused by disease or stress (due to US) and a myriad of other factors.
But seriously, this could have some devestating effects on our world if we're not too careful. Years ago, after reading the really impressive book by Rachel Carson "Silent Spring" that really illustrated the dangers of pestiside use on crops (and deaths in humans) that eventually led to the removal of DDT from the market... I felt changed somehow. Ever since then I've been convinced that the chemicals we've been putting in the air, in our bodies, and in the ground have a negative effect on everything and everyone-including our bee friends.
This is yet another reason why we are obligated to investigate this "bee genocide" and seriously must stop it. Experts can't seem to decide how well our crops would do without pollenation (realisitically, most would die-but I'm sure we'd still find a way to survivie)... but I don't care what anyone says, thinking about a world without bees isn't an option just as we wouldn't think of a world without sunshine.
Just a few more scary statistics, experts claim that the bee populations are declining in some areas, the past five years, in rates as much as 90%. That number is unacceptable and shocking.
We must step up and do something before it is too late! These little guys (even the annoying killer bees) can't speak for themselves. We must figure out what is going wrong and attempt to bring balance back before it is too late. I for one don't want to have to worry about what foods I won't get to eat because they can't grow or even have to think about how the world with change without our bee friends around. I would miss hearing the sound of the buzzing during the spring, and don't want to have to tell my children about something they'll never get the pleasure to see for themselves.I'm so glad my guy friend noticed and pointed it out to me. I'm sure he had no idea I was a "bee-tarian" (that's like humanitarian) but who knows how long would have gone by before I really noticed ... Thank goodness he'd been paying attention!
If you get a chance, check it out ...
Sources:
Cosmos Magazine, April 2007http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/1087Wikipedia Dictionary -- "Colony Collapse Disorder"en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_Collapse_Disorder
"Silent Spring" Rachel Carsonhttp://www.amazon.com/Silent-Spring-Rachel-Carson/dp/0618249060