America’s Honeybees Are Vanishing

Honeybees are vanishing from American hives at two to three times the expected rate. In 24 states around the country, beekeepers have noticed fewer and fewer bees in the colonies. The causes could be anything from pesticides that are banned elsewhere to lowered immunities to bee viruses. While there are plenty of replacements for honey, the real problem is the loss of pollination that results from the loss of the bees.

The International Herald Tribune reports that a Cornell study determined that $14 billion worth of seeds and crops in America rely on honey bees for pollination. Zac Browning, vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation told the IHT, “Every third bite we consume in our diet is dependent on a honeybee to pollinate that food.” The fact that most Americans waistlines could do without that third bite is beside the point.

Beekeeping is an odd part of the agriculture business. Many of the pros drive around in 18-wheelers, hives in the back, looking for pollination work – which earns them much more than selling honey. It is an industry in the midst of consolidation. The US Department of Agriculture says that in the last 20 years, the number of beekeepers has fallen by half and the number of hives by a quarter. Currently, the USDA believes there are about 2.4 million hives in the country. Their season starts with the first almond blossoms in California during February.

So what happens if there are no honeybees? Farmers have tried other methods of pollinating their crops. Spreading the pollen using the down draft of a helicopter has been tried, as has the use of giant blowers and even mortar shells laden with pollen. The bees are still more effective. One company is trying to use the “blue orchard bee,” which has two advantages over the honeybee – it doesn’t sting and it works in colder weather.

The ancient Egyptians, who didn’t have access to sugar cane or sugar beets as best as modern scientists can tell, had domesticated bees 4,000 years ago. Human agriculture and bees just go together. At the same time, the world has seen this before. The 1930s had mass colony losses in Texas, and in 1965, they occurred in Arkansas. This time, its all over the country. Maybe trucking the bees around isn’t such a good idea.

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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