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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.

Bees still dying: We want to avoid colony collapse disorder, but how? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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