| Media Credit: communitygardennews.org |
Vanishing of the Bees (2009)
Genre(s): Documentary/History
Director(s): George Langworthy, Maryam Henein
Principals: Ellen Page (narrator), Simon Buxton, and Emilia Fox
Agriculture today is a mess. With all of the pesticides, mono-culture fields, GMOs, loose FDA and EPA regulation and enforcement, the natural environment suffers the consequences--even bees.
Bees are a vital part of agriculture because they are responsible for fertilizing crops. Within the past few years, scientists and beekeepers discovered that some bee hives suffer from colony collapse disorder (CCD). One week there will be hundreds of bees, then the hives are empty the next, barely leaving any traces of the thousands of bees that once inhabited them--the bees simply disappeared.
Beekeeper Dave Hackenberg is credited with raising awareness of the problem and stressing the adverse effects of the bee epidemic...
To put it simply, a shortage bees could eventually lead to food shortages.
Many possible causes were discussed among beekeeper associations and put forward by scientific research, but the most probable root of the problem is the most devastating. There are several factors to be considered, but it is believed that the bees suffer the most from crops whose seeds were integrated with pesticides.
Although crops grow with an immunity from mites or pests, the bee comes in contact with the crop and becomes toxic. Immediate contact does not kill the bee. Over time, the toxins build in the bee's body. Then, the contaminated bee returns to the hive, which spreads the toxicity.
CCD is a real problem and should be addressed soon to prevent an agricultural catastrophe.
To learn more about the bee epidemic, please check out Vanishing of the Bees on Netflix, or click here to check out the film's website.
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