| The honey bee continues to disappear at a dramatic | | | | cotton that is used in fabrics. |
| rate worldwide. Many beekeepers estimate that, at the | | | | With the current lack of government response, the |
| current rate of bee loss, there now may be only a ten | | | | complexity of the research into the problem, and the |
| year window to find a cause and a cure for this | | | | rate of annual bee loss, it may be time for us to look |
| malady. In fact, the British Beekeepers Association has | | | | at the world of agriculture without the pollination of the |
| warned that honeybees could disappear entirely from | | | | honey bee. |
| Great Britain by 2018. | | | | For an immediate glimpse of this dubious future, we |
| This mystery of the disappearing honey bee is called | | | | can look to Maoxian County of Sichuan, China. It is an |
| Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). CCD is unique since it | | | | area that has lost it pollinators through the indiscriminate |
| leaves bee hives with a queen bee, a few | | | | use of pesticides and the over-harvesting of its honey. |
| newly-hatched adults, and plenty of food, while all of | | | | The result is that hand pollination of pear and apple |
| the worker bees responsible for pollination just | | | | trees has become a common practice. In this part of |
| disappear. The truth is that the number of disappearing | | | | China, the honey bee has been replaced by the human |
| bees worldwide is quite staggering. | | | | bee. |
| In the United States, beekeepers lost 35 percent of | | | | Consider that every spring for the last two decades, |
| their hives last winter, after losing 30 percent the | | | | thousands of villagers have climbed through fruit trees |
| previous year. Internationally, similar widespread bee | | | | hand-pollinating blossoms by dipping "pollination |
| losses have been reported throughout Canada, Brazil, | | | | sticks"(brushes made of chicken feathers and |
| India and China, as well as throughout Europe | | | | cigarette filters) into plastic bottles of pollen and then |
| In general, international government agencies and | | | | touching them against each of the tree's billions of |
| organizations like the United Nations have done little to | | | | blossoms. Could this method of pollination be a glimpse |
| solve this escalating problem. In the United States, the | | | | of our future? Humans replacing bees by hand |
| House of Representatives held an emergency hearing | | | | pollinating trees and plants in an attempt to produce |
| last June on the status of bee pollinators in North | | | | one third of our food staples. |
| America. The result of that hearing was an allocation | | | | Of course, it will be expensive to hire human bee |
| of $5 million to honeybee research attached to the | | | | pollinators. Remember that nature used to provide this |
| farm bill. However, that funding was subsequently cut | | | | service in the past for free. Consider that the cost of |
| in half during the last year. So far, in 2008, the U.S. | | | | the loss of the pollination of the honey bee has been |
| Department of Agriculture has made just $4 million | | | | estimated at anywhere between fourteen billion and |
| available to a consortium of universities for research | | | | ninety two billion dollars in the United States alone. |
| into the problem of disappearing honey bees. | | | | In fact, many farms may not be able to profitably pass |
| Unfortunately, international politicians are more focused | | | | on such a large cost to consumers, resulting in many |
| on the potential warming effect of CO2 emissions on | | | | food staples that will no longer be grown. Of the food |
| the planet during the next century. This apparent | | | | supply that will remain, price inflation will leave it out of |
| proactive approach to global climate change obscures | | | | the economic reach of many worldwide. Global famine |
| the more immediate environmental threat that CCD | | | | will increase and diets will change. The result will be |
| poses to our health, diet, and food supply. Indeed, a | | | | dramatic devastation for international human health. |
| world without the pollination of the honey bee would be | | | | In the future, other types of bees could potentially be |
| truly devastating to national and international agriculture | | | | trained as pollinators. However, to date, that |
| and it may occur within the next decade. | | | | experiment has not shown a great deal of efficiency. |
| In fact, honey bee pollination is responsible for the | | | | The result of CCD may well mean the honey bee will |
| growth of all fruits and many vegetables as well as | | | | be replaced by the human bee. Unfortunately, the |
| livestock feed. It is estimated that bees pollinate one | | | | human pollinator is an expensive agricultural answer |
| third of American food and three quarters of plants, | | | | and does not provide a feasible solution to the |
| including crops, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, even | | | | environmental problem of disappearing honey bees. |