Honeybees are being decimated, that much we know, and it could have far-reaching effects on agriculture and the economy. It starts with almonds in the early spring and spreads throughout nut and fruit crops, ending with pears and apples in Oregon in the early fall; commercial bees travel from crop to crop with their overworked keepers, a kind of modern cowboy essential to the very survival of the human race. Without bees to pollinate the crops, to help buds grow into fruit, we and much of the ecosystem would be required to survive on a fraction of the produce we now enjoy.

While much of the loss is blamed on mites and disease, a little is blamed on global warming and some on mysterious causes as far flung as a million cell phone pings (do they interfere with bees' navigational systems? anecdotal evidence from beekeepers who've commented here, says "yes") to bad high-fructose corn syrup used to feed crop-pollinating bees (if we don't like it for people... why would the bees thrive on it?). Either way the media world is finally taking note.

Early in the morning I hear suppositions from the BBC; they wonder if it's a "small blip in the life of the bee." But using words like "phenomenon" and widespread tales of the mysterious loss of between 30% and 80% of commercial colonies, I'm not so sure. Every morning has a new article, a new expert, another synonym for "we have no idea"; today the Baltimore Sun points out the risk to alfala, clover, pumpkins. The paper's expert suggests Colony Collapse Disorder could be caused by "a chemical deterrent or toxin" but says the number of potential causes is still vast. The Coloradoan notes the danger to blueberries, cherries and sunflowers and says that cell phones are either destroying bees, or saving them; "the cell phone hype has put bees in the spotlight and has better informed the public how important bees are to our ecosystem," writes Megan Read as she tells Coloradoans not to "put away your cell phone just yet."

I'm putting away my cell phone, just in case. I love almonds and cherries, and I've seen a lot of mysteriously dying bees in my pollen-rich backyard. I'm keeping my eye on the bee problem, and it seems that mainstream media is finally joining me, the beekeepers and concerned farmers everywhere.

It was only a few weeks ago that I started reading about the plight of commercial bees in Oregon, where I live, and other nearby agricultural states: some mysterious force was causing what's called "Colony Collapse Disorder" for untold (but, by all guesses, large) numbers of bees used for pollinating crops up and down the Pacific Coast. One beekeeper said that the vast majority of his colonies had just disappeared -- the bees would leave, and never return to the hive, presumably dying from hunger. Despite the seeming widespread nature of the problem, agricultural authorities wouldn't confirm its severity, and no one had solid numbers.

Until now, a variety of unrelated and unsatisfactory theories had been surfaced, though none even seemed half-right. Global warming. A bad batch of the high-fructose corn syrup typically used to feed commercial bees. Genetically modified crops. Pesticides. Mites. In the past few days I've seen several bees around my home, buzzing in and then fizzling out, dying slow, awful deaths on the sidewalk or windowsill. My stomach began to sink. Bees are vital to the health of so many of the world's plants. What could be done?

Now a report from Britain, where bee losses are still denied by agricultural authorities, although beekeepers are raising the alarm (U.S. beekeepers claim 60% of West Coast populations and 70% of East Coast bees have vanished): cell phone signals are disrupting bees' natural navigation systems. While alarmist, it makes sense; when cell phones are on, they're constantly crying for attention, pinging whatever tower is nearby every few minutes so that the home tower can keep track of the signal and send in whatever calls or messages come its way. Think of all the millions of pings that bounce back and forth across agricultural areas every week.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist and never worried about fears that cell phones cause brain cancer and cell death (although the reports seem to indicate this could be true). But after reading these reports my first urge is to turn off all the cell phones in the family and only use them for emergencies. If this is true, cell phones could become the SUV of 2008; a public display of a human putting its own comfort above the needs of the environment at large. And I'm sticking to land-based stocks for now!