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When Bees Stop Buzzing
Last week, the premiere of Nature's Silence of the Bees was a reminder of the delicacy of our planet's food chain and the impact it has on the environment, our diets, and the world's economy.
The film, Silence of the Bees, recounts the strange phenomenon, known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), which fell upon honeybee hives across the country in the winter of 2006/2007. More than a quarter or 2.4 million bee colonies were lost, leaving billions of dollars of crops at risk and threatening our own food supply.
Although many associate the role of honeybees to the production of honey, few are aware that they pollinate nearly 1/3 of crop species in the United States-from fruits, nuts, vegetables to even animal-feed crops, such as clover that is fed to dairy cows. The overstressed honeybee population is needed to pollinate all flowering plants and must compensate for our growing demand of fruits and vegetables all-year round.
The Silence of the Bees Web site delves deeper into understanding more about the ongoing investigation to save honeybees from dying out. You can read the latest update of CCD, learn what's at stake if honeybees disappear, and participate in some simple activities to help preserve bee colonies.
Here are a few tips featured on the site:
bq. 1. Go Retro- Become a backyard beekeeper. Did you know that just two hives can pollinate an entire mid-sized residential garden? By becoming your own backyard beekeeper, you might find yourself with not only a lifelong hobby, but also the ability to "strengthen the bee gene pool by adding healthy local bees to the mix." Start by finding a beekeepers' association in your area or click here for links to national and international organizations.
bq. 2. Get closer to nature - Cultivate plants that will attract bees. Choose flowers that bloom successively over the spring, summer, and fall seasons such as coreopsis, Russian sage, or germander in order to provide pollen and nectar resources to the native bees of all seasons. Also, check with your local garden center for advice on "bee-friendly" floral.
bq. 3. Give the bees a voice - write to your U.S. senator and representatives in congress to ask for support in funding honeybee research. By putting pressure on politicians to reinstate laws that prevent importation of alien bees into the country, you can promote "healthy bees, healthy crops, and consequently, healthy humans."
Additionally, watch an exclusive interview below with the filmmaker, Doug Shultz, from the online show The Alcove with Mark Molaro:
For more information on what you can do to reverse the decline of nature's pollinators, watch an exclusive online podcast, which features scientists and bee experts discussing the crucial role of honeybees in the economy and the ecosystem.
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Bee Shortage
I went to see some short plays -- one of them was on the plight of the bee. With so many issues on nature at the forefront of thought, it sometimes helps to step back. Just so we can see how we live our lives and what we've taken advantage of. Who would have thought there may be a bee shortage? Or really, what a huge effect that would have.
Applauding Nature for taking on an important issue
I'm really happy to see "Nature" doing this kind of story. Often people think of "Nature" as only being about cute or strange animals around the world. This story points out their deep interest in the relationships between the animals, their environments and humans and their deep commitment to education and conservation.
This story is a very important one. For folks who want to learn more about the issue, I highly recommend Elizabeth Kolbert's piece, Stung, in The New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/08/06/070806fa_fact_kolbert.
The Alcove Interview
Enjoyed this wonderful interview with Doug Schultz by Mark Molaro. Informative, in-depth and great addition to the video program! Keep up the great interviews!
Honey Bees
This is scary stuff. I never realised how important bees were, of course they play a role like all species and life, but I never realised how much ourselves, other animal and plant life depend on them.
Andrew Croft
Honey Bees and CCD ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
After learning about the Bees disapering I started a bee hive in my yard . A friend of mine that had bees help me get started with a split from her hive . I harvested my first honey after three months . I will start another coloney next year . More people are needed to do the same . I hope more people will do as I did to help out the Bees .
two colonies
I have two colonies on my house, they are one on a tree in my front and the second are in a corner of the backyard wall. There is not much vegetation around, but they work to hard, ina few shrubs and flowers of garden from neighbors. I keep them protected hard than i cant, but the people still wanting them die.
Write to your Senator
People today are insulated from natural things like the need for honey bees to pollinate our food. They believe that cheap fresh food will always be available.
Honey bees are disappearing, everything that can be done, should be done to promote the health and abundance of bees.
You can help by writing to your Senator demanding more research into bees, and the encouragement of backyard beekeeping. Don't expect other people to do something, act before it's too late.
http://bees-on-the-net.com/pbs
I have never thought that
I have never thought that bees are very important to our nature, animals and plants… I am very interested in this film now and I really want to see it. I think we need to do something; we all should to help out the Bees in some ways.
Jenifer
The people need to understand
The people need to understand that every single creature has a very particular reason to exist, and we dont be able to destroy the nature way to be healthy.
http://www.paydayadvancetree.com
I have been reading about this a lot lately. I had no idea that bees were in danger, but after reading this blog and a few others I am going to start planting more "bee friendly" plants in my garden. Thanks for the education.