Silence of the Bees ~ Video: Full Episode

Silence of the Bees
Video: Full Episode

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, leaving billions of dollars of crops at risk and potentially threatening 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.

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This program premiered October 28, 2007.

Tags: agriculture, bees, honeybees, pollination

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50 comments

06/19/2008 :: 08:29:40 AM
Peter Jones Says:

When I saw the title of “Silence of the Bees” reappear, I thought this would be a repeat which, however, I found surprising at the beginning of a season. I missed the first airing because of transmission troubles at my local PBS. Fortunately, by checking the web page, I found out this title is a follow-up, and not a repeat. In future, I suggest using titles like “Silence of the Bees II” to avoid this problem in the future. This episode will repeat, so I hope I can catch it then.

06/19/2008 :: 11:27:35 AM
NATURE Online Says:

“Silence of the Bees” originally aired last fall. It repeated on June 15. It is not “Silence of the Bees II.”

06/19/2008 :: 08:13:31 PM
Frank J. Regan Says:

One of the interesting quotes from this exceptional PBS program is that in terms of immediate ramifications the Bee Colony Collapse Syndrome (CCS) will be more catastrophic than Global Warming. I cannot vouch for this superlative statement, but CCS should be on your radar. The mainstream media in general has not done its job in making this environmental issue, the possible loss of bees, up-front-and-center of our attention.

The loss of bees could affect a third of the things we see growing around us and it will certainly profoundly affect our agriculture, meaning our economy, if this problem is not solved. The point that needs to be hammered on is that our government should make sure there are sufficient funds to conduct all the studies necessary to find out why bees are dying off. We cannot leave this to private industry or educational facilities. Check out “The Silence of the Bees” to get the importance of this issue—don’t wait for mainstream media to get in your face with this because they won’t get it until it’s too late.

06/22/2008 :: 01:04:52 AM
ibrahim Says:

i think we have to look to another diriction about ccs i notice when this beekeeper move his hives they are not closed very good this couse alot of loss for the bee hive population

06/23/2008 :: 02:30:15 AM
Michal Dawson Says:

Losing our honey bees world-wide is very, very frieghtening. Governments of the world UNITE in this fast growing and alarming honey bee problem!!!!!

I wonder if Jerry Seinfeld made “Bee Movie” because he wanted to bring the importance of the honey bees to people of all ages? I love the honey bees. It wouldn’t be summer without them in my yard or drinking nectar from my flowers. Wake up government of the United States!!!

06/24/2008 :: 11:23:43 AM
Wondering « Coffee Blog Says:

[...] am Filed under: Life, the Universe and Everything | Tags: bees, dominion, gardening After watching this episode of Nature on PBS last night, I’m wondering if the only real hope for the honeybee [...]

06/24/2008 :: 02:25:55 PM
cvirtue Says:

Ibrahim, I can understand how you came to that conclusion, but the visuals are easy to misinterpret. The way any beekeeper moves a hive is to wait until nightfall when the bees are all inside (they only fly during the day.) Then you can block their entrance(s) and the bees cannot escape. At that point, the hive can be transported anywhere.
The video shows that a couple layers of netting are put over the hives, and any bees that are inside the netting are ones which have managed to escape, but they won’t get very far until the netting is removed.

06/24/2008 :: 10:38:18 PM
Richard Fields Says:

Albert Einstein said, “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.” Lets hope and pray this doesn’t happen. I’ve contacted both local and federal officials today requesting more money to research CCD as well as federal assistance for the wonderful men and women who are losing their bees to this dreadful disease.

06/26/2008 :: 12:31:32 PM
It’s National Pollinator Week « Savvy Chic Says:

[...] http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/silence-of-the-bees/full-episode/251/ [...]

#10

06/28/2008 :: 12:02:33 PM
Graham White Says:

This is an excellent programme. Sadly - although this website says that you can ’see the full video online’ it is a dead link and you cannot see any of the main episode. Can this not be restored? It is a vital issue.

#11

07/01/2008 :: 11:58:42 PM
Hazyn peterson Says:

your presentations are always exellent but how do I watch them here online?

#12

07/08/2008 :: 07:38:25 PM
Reed’s Bees » Blog Archive » Silence of the Bees Says:

[...] I was most distraught last month when I missed the re-play of PBS’s documentary entitled, “Silence of the Bees.” Thankfully they have made the full version available on their website here! Silence of the Bees [...]

#13

07/10/2008 :: 05:59:15 PM
Emily Says:

This was a very interesting program. I am curious now about the fate of uncultivated bee populations, and how they differ from commercial bees. As the program states over and over, bees and other insect pollenaters are crucial to the reproduction of a vast percentage of the plant life on Earth, and therefore to the health of almost every terrestrial ecosystem. I would be interested in more information on wild bee populations and what is being done to protect them, as they must be a vital aspect in any conservation effort.

#14

07/18/2008 :: 12:24:46 AM
Jos van Eck Says:

Een waardevol document waar een ieder, maar zeker alle Imkers, kennis van moeten nemen.
Jammer voor vele dat de documentaire niet ondertitelt is. De uitzending op TV wel. Toch moet je proberen een en ander goed te laten doordringen.

#15

07/26/2008 :: 01:00:26 PM
Jill Williams Says:

I’ve found it strange this year that on a number of occasions, bumble bees have flown into my porch, lay down on the carpet and died. My son had the same experience. I wonder if there could be a connection or is it just a coincidence. I’ve not known it before.

#16

07/27/2008 :: 03:59:49 PM
Elliott Taylor Says:

Awesome. Friggin’ bees. Remember the big Y2K scare, all the people running to the stores to stockpile canned goods and water? Just you wait, those very same people will be at the grocer buyin’ up all the honey, peanut butter, cereals, ice cream; basically everything with honey, and it’s a much longer list than you may think.

PS-
Anyone else having problems with the chapter selection box under the video player? It’s working like it’s supposed to, it’s just a stupid design; since it moves with mouse position, when you’re trying to pick some of the “middle” chapters, the thing is moving around. Ya gotta play target practice to select a chapter!

#17

08/11/2008 :: 07:51:22 PM
bud dingler Says:

CCD is mostly hype, I know cause I make my living keeping bees and have since 1995.

The only bees disappearing is in the migratory beekeepers hives which are moved around, fed HFCS and basically are seen as disposable once they get paid 160$/hive for pollination in almonds.

I hate this movie and other pieces of media that make CCD sound like some wave of horror sweeping across the continent. Hogwash.

The reality is Hackenberg pushes his bees past the limit. He even explains how they travel 5500 miles a year! There is no mystery - just limits which have been exceeded.

I have not lost any bees, don’t move them and don’t put chemicals in my hives either. There are more beekeepers not having problems then the few who are….

#18

08/11/2008 :: 09:14:47 PM
Ross Says:

I’m a commercial exterminator. I’m called in when a company finds a hive that could pose a safety hazard to its employees. I get more and more calls of this type every year.

This is just liberal media hype. Just like the killer bee invasion a few years ago. Yes, we have africanized bees up here, and yes, they are agressive. But, its nothing like the invasion they were predicting.

I wonder how much longer until some politician enacts another useless feel good law that does nothing to help the bees, and just costs the taxpayers a bunch of money. When that happens, you’ll have to let your childern be stung by bees because it will be illegal to remove them….

#19

08/21/2008 :: 12:51:26 AM
Tim Says:

at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_Collapse_Disorder#Scale_of_the_disorder there is wonderfully researched and documented entry on CCD. I agree, it is hype, right along with global warming and man’s part in it. It is a grand conceit. Just another way that “The sky is falling! The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” How many times does the media have to “cry wolf” before the general public gets a clue?

#20

09/14/2008 :: 11:52:36 PM
cotton Says:

i’ve always been interested in beekeeping . after viewing this me and my wife thought the next logical step would be to get a hive ,and so we did now we love watching our bees, our gardens did great this year . we are very happy with our disision .hope more people do the same.

#21

09/16/2008 :: 04:26:47 PM
G Says:

=) hi i like round grapes!

#22

09/18/2008 :: 12:49:01 AM
Scott Says:

OK, I would say, Those in charge, need to push out funds to cap off this issue of loosing bees before its too late. I just like all others, Like Fruits, and more. Some say, we still have bread,, They are not thinking, about the whole issue of Bees Disapearing.. I Ask, no I Beg, those who have the power to get a cap on the issue, to have the bee population come back, It would be nice to see a PBS program in the near future, titled: Bees on a come back and more. To report, the Bee population has come back to FULL Force, and More, That would be nice,,

Scott, From Ft. Worth TX, Nature Freak here.

I know one thing, I am going to be moving to the country, I am going to devote a part of my land to Nothing but Flowers For Bees. I want to do Something, to help this issue..

I pray to our LORD Jesus, we find a way to kill the Virus that was found, if that is the entire problem, eliminated. Hopefully our Bees population can be on a Rebound.

#23

09/20/2008 :: 10:26:29 AM
Silence of the Bees - Central Beekeepers Alliance Says:

[...] the original broadcast, no problem! You can now see the full-length video of the Nature program Silence of the Bees on the PBS website: [...]

#24

09/24/2008 :: 09:36:56 AM
Thomas H. Says:

I lovez teh beez.

#25

09/24/2008 :: 09:40:56 AM
Mendegar .... Says:

I lovez teh beez 2, dey make me sad…*cry*

#26

09/29/2008 :: 09:06:51 PM
Earl Says:

I am so sick of ‘holier than thou’ conservatives hype that everything is ‘media hype’ just so they can maintain the status quo and take no responsibility for what is happening the the world and others around them! Get over it!

#27

10/01/2008 :: 03:59:11 PM
steinmentz1 Says:

Did you know that the world’s frogs are also dissappearing? Have you heard of the exploding frogs?
How are bees and anphibians doing in isolated areas like Cuba or North Korea?

#28

10/01/2008 :: 04:19:19 PM
steinmentz1 Says:

We need a ’spell checker’ before we submit our comments (it’s embarassing). We need a translator for our non English commenters. Google used to have a nice vidio player before it aquired Utube about a year ago.

#29

10/05/2008 :: 11:58:02 PM
Deborah Chapin Says:

I am so glad that Nature and PBS are doing shows such as this and taken on the task of educating the public. I saw this when it first aired. It inspired me to do a series on pollinators and I hope in turn that it will become a mainstream issue. A key to solving alot of problems and educating the public about conservation, and our link to our health with that of the environment.

#30

10/06/2008 :: 11:00:26 PM
Suzi Amazon Says:

I thought this program was interesting and educational. My daughter and I are first year hobby bee-keepers. I am glad we are keeping bees. We started not for honey so much as for pollination; this is the first year we had more than five fruits on our various trees –the apples were astounding;we had apples! We also had a wee bit of honey. Also, our original group divided and swarmed .Not as scarey as it sounds! We improvised a second hive for the swarm.Quite a learning experience for us both. I worry,though,if our bees will carry over to next spring especially after being caught in a cloud of chemicals while walking the dog past a local farm field earlier in the summer.I was coughing, the dog was sneezing and coughing and I thought of my bees, my girl,our pets…..and is this crop-dusting plane poisening the ‘farmer’s market’ corn & veggies I’ve been buying? It’s like you can’t escape the chemicals;they are seeped into our ground water and air and even prescription drug residuals are turning up in the fish we buy. CCD? Yeah, I believe it’s real.What’s the half life on some of them?any of them chemicals? Somewhere,sometime, someone started making this (bed) coffin and now we all have to lie in it.

#31

10/07/2008 :: 04:14:01 PM
Drew Says:

I know you can download the short version of of televisiontunes.com

#32

10/09/2008 :: 09:27:35 PM
Brenda Hatcher Says:

If the bees seem to be vanishing at a higher rate from where they have been “trucked” to, maybe their “vanishing” is just because they have flown off in search for the type of pollen they last gathered from the place they were “trucked” from.

#33

11/08/2008 :: 05:33:05 PM
fernando cancino h Says:

exelente el programa,soy de chile,y soy apicultor,,,chile parece estar libre de estos problemas de las abejas,les deceo suerte y trabajen en esto para solucionar este problema grave,mucha suerte y cuidemos la vida

#34

11/13/2008 :: 02:21:55 AM
J Says:

This was a very good documentary! Very informative and beautiful. Really helped me with a paper I was writing for a college class. Thanks PBS!

#35

12/10/2008 :: 07:19:10 PM
henry fong Says:

Amazing doc!!!!! the problem with pesticide residue is that one bee carries it back to the hive affecting every bee it encounters including larvae

#36

12/13/2008 :: 12:53:06 AM
Nicholas Booth Says:

Maybe all this Genetically modified food is messing with the bees?

#37

12/15/2008 :: 04:20:06 PM
mary k.m. Says:

This is a very concern to me and others; i am doing a paper a research paper on this subject. Albert Einstein
predicted this event. that if bees disappear so will man in 4 years. Please keep me inform: what can we do to help…

#38

12/16/2008 :: 05:10:58 PM
Kelly Says:

Einstein did not predict this. Actually the famous quote attributed to him is incorrect. I am also a beekeeper and have a book coming out this summer on the subject. I beleive CCD is real, however not to the extent it is shown here.

#39

01/07/2009 :: 04:18:22 AM
Kevin Walsh Says:

Kelly- what book did you write? I greatly enjoy reading bee books; I look forward to yours.

I too am a beekeeper. I learned beekeeping in Santa Cruz, Ca. through a great, former beekeeper Ormond Aebi, who also wrote books and briefly held the world’s honey harvest record for a single hive. Wikipedia has a biography of him and a little about his beekeeping books.

#40

01/17/2009 :: 06:19:57 PM
Craig S Says:

Quite a worrying program but not a lot about the use of the pesticides such as the neonicotinoids and what about the corn syrup fed to bees if that comes from GM crops it will contain the BT toxin no matter what the provider of the seed says. All these pesticides have a cumulative effect and we are now, unfortunately finally paying the price, just hope my bees survive

#41

01/31/2009 :: 12:50:36 AM
Lindsey Says:

There are so many other variables here that it’s ridiculous to take any of this lightly. Yes, the mainstream media exaggerates practically anything to make us fearful of everything around us, but that doesn’t subtract from the fact that this is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. It’s a fluctuating problem, at that - varying from year to year but progressively getting worse with the passage of time. And they’re still not sure if this virus has anything to do with CCD. And comparing this problem to global warming seems apt considering the permanent changes that will take place. People play a part in global warming, yes, but it’s also a very natural process. That doesn’t mean we can’t do something to make changes for the better. There are so many things that we can improve upon as a species and as the caretakers of this planet that it’s dumbfounding how no one really seems to be thinking about the reality of it all. We need to take responsibility for ourselves and stop pointing fingers; it’s not helping us, and it’s not going to solve any of our problems.

#42

02/05/2009 :: 04:47:37 PM
Stephen Briles Says:

I am glad that the full version is now available. I had it on my DVR but my wife erased it to make room for other programs.
I too am a beekeeper and I mentor many new beekeepers and youth. I have not had a problem with CCD but I know commercial beekeepers that do from time to time. It is real but not as hyped as the media states. Once can complain about the commercial beekeepers but they have a place in ensuring that we keep food on our table. Still I feel the small beekeeper is what will save us if there is a large loss of bees. The bees kept by the average “backyard” beekeeper are not exposed to the chemicals or the stresses that commercial hives are exposed to and additionally they are not exposed to hives from all over the country that may, or may not, be infected with disease. The backyard hives are relatively isolated and therefore our backup or our insurance. Let me say thank you to all the backyard beekeepers and all of you that grow flowers and provide pollen sources for bees. Also thank you for those that refrain from using pesticides and toxic chemicals. All of you contribute to the continuing survival of bees, insects and amphibians that are so needed.

#43

02/07/2009 :: 09:34:42 PM
eric Says:

i have many bees feding on sugar water in 1 hour is this bad because they will noy pollinate flowers later in march

#44

02/18/2009 :: 07:18:13 PM
JAM Says:

Maybe they are getting jacked up from being transported 5500 miles a year on a truck thourhg the interstate highway system. I dont think that is very natural.

#45

03/13/2009 :: 05:30:27 PM
EJ Abell Says:

Is this documentary in public domain? I would like to show it in my river museum to school groups.

#46

03/14/2009 :: 11:57:40 PM
Katie Says:

I am writing a research paper on the decline of the honeybee and its effect on society. This has been a great resourse. I am writing this paper as part of a required senior project to graduate and the situation caught my eye. As far as the “project” part is concerned, I am not quite sure what I might be able to do to help with the whole delema. Some of the ways to “help” that I have read up on are donating to bee research, planting bee friendly plants, and notifiying the public. I was thinking about writing an article for my local paper or even posting something online. How can I better get the word out? What would be most benefical?

#47

05/09/2009 :: 03:17:45 AM
Protect Your Bees | Cottage Wood Hill Says:

[...] just finished watching a poignant PBS video, Silence of the Bees, about honey bees disappearing around the world. Although I had heard about this problem, called [...]

#48

05/23/2009 :: 10:15:03 PM
Heidi Lewis Says:

It seems like a no-brainer that trucking honeybees by the millions across the country to serve agribusiness pollination needs is a BAD IDEA. What are beekeepers thinking? Just like the dust bowl of the 1930’s, mono-cropping and unsustainable agricultural systems have negative effects on our environment and living creatures. How do we expect honeybees to survive?

#49

06/03/2009 :: 12:47:14 AM
deanna puetz Says:

I enjoyed this program very much. I felt it was very informative and helpful in opening my mind and awareness to the reality of the ‘bee’ situation. i hope that after my career in college I am able to participate in assisting with the research in seeking a solution. Thank you PBS

#50

06/24/2009 :: 08:22:50 PM
Brian Says:

The difficulties with bees are symptomatic. They’re the canary in the coal mine. New diseases come and go, but I think we’re seeing a gradual decline in the resiliency of nature.

If you do only one thing, buy local organic produce. There are apiaries that serve small local farms with pollination services, and that’s good for the farmers, the bees, and the honey.

Nature