In the winter of 2006, a strange phenomenon fell upon honeybee hives across the country. Without a trace, millions of bees vanished from their hives. A precious pollinator of fruits and vegetables, the disappearing bees left billions of dollars of crops at risk and threatened our food supply. The epidemic set researchers scrambling to discover why honeybees were dying in record numbers — and to stop the epidemic in its tracks before it spread further.
Silence of the Bees is the first in-depth look at the search to uncover what is killing the honeybee. The filmmakers of Bees take viewers around the world to the sites of fallen hives, to high-tech labs, where scientists race to uncover clues, and even deep inside honeybee colonies. Silence of the Bees is the story of a riveting, ongoing investigation to save honeybees from dying out. The film goes beyond the unsolved mystery to tell the story of the honeybee itself, its invaluable impact on our diets and takes a look at what’s at stake if honeybees disappear. Silence of the Bees explores the complex world of the honeybee in crisis and instills in viewers a sense of urgency to learn ways to help these extraordinary animals.
Watch Silence of the Bees Sunday, June 15 at 8pm ET on PBS (check local listings).
Silence of the Bees premiered on PBS October 28, 2007.
Exclusive Podcast: In this podcast, scientists and bee experts featured in the program discuss the crucial role that honeybees, a “keystone species,” play in our economy and ecosystems, as well as bees’ fascinating social organization and what we can do to reverse the decline of nature’s pollinators.
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06/18/2008 :: 09:22:42 PM
Caroline Says:
A Few Thoughts On Genetically Re-engineered Foods
I’ve seen the Silence Of The Bees program twice now and realized that our genetically re-engineered foods were not mentioned at all. What if the pollen created by the genetically superior food blossoms is somehow to blame? I’m no scientist, but what good are organically grown foods if they are grown from genetically perverse seeds? The bees will be feeding on pollen that may be lacking in needed nutrition. It’s no different than pure bread dogs in the respect to certain breeds becoming less intelligent or more aggressive over time. Could the pollen created thus be losing it’s nutritious qualities to bees over time, to reflect the malnutrition mentioned in the program?
Really, who needs softball sized tomatoes? Maybe we should consider that the entire plant, not just the fruit, is no longer the same and thus not only is it effecting us in different ways, but the bees as well. I see the loss of the bees as a precursor to, the world realizing the impact of these genetic giants that we ingest. Once upon a time, preservatives and certain fats were considered the “end and be all” in the food industry. Notice that they are now both limited in their use and consumption for adverse health reasons. Look at the exponential growth of disease effecting the citizens of the world. Many nutritionists blame not only “junk foods” but the foods we eat. If these foods could be proven to be the cause of some of these diseases because our bodies somehow have become effected over time by processing these new foods, why wouldn’t they effect bees too? It’s said over and over, “we are what we eat”. This must apply to bees as well.