Einstein's Apocalypse is No Theory

As far back as a month ago I started hearing about the shrinking bee population in the US and Germany and little did I know just how dire the situation is. The first reports came from Florida last fall, and since have been reported in 24 other states. Beekeepers are reporting more than half of their hives empty. It is being called "Colony Collapse Disorder" (CCD) by scientists here and has many worried that the honeybees will fall victim to a mass plague of disease carrying varroa mites, and disrupt the nations food supply. The disappearing honeybee mystery has beekeepers baffled as colonies vanish leaving empty hives behind, save for a few sickly juveniles. Scientists need to study the dead bees, and they are nowhere to be found. Millions of them are gone, 70% of the bee population on the east coast, and 60% in the west.

The varroa mite (introduced from Asia) isn't the only culprit. The exact cause is not known, but there are a number of factors thought to be contributing to the collapse. Transgenic crops, also known as genetically modified organisms, GMOs, or GM crops are engineered to be insect resistant, and 40% of cornfields in the US are genetically engineered. This could be helping to lower the bee's immune system. Many are now calling this the honeybee version of AIDS. Other insects that normally raid a dead colony's hive; are staying away - strange . Along with transgenic crops, the practice of monoculture (The cultivation of a single crop on a farm or in a region or country) is also suspect in the collapse. Just take a look at what happened to US cotton crops in the early 1900's. They were decimated by boll weevils as a result of monoculture.

The U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Agriculture has already held hearings on the missing bees. Germany, and the UK are seeing the same thing but on a smaller scale than in the United States, but with no less importance attached.

Smaller instances of unexpectedly empty hives date back to the 1800s and were called by farmers, autumn collapse, spring dwindle, or disappearing disease. The bees returned, will they this time?

As we constantly tinker with nature in order to improve our lives, unseen and negative circumstances surely result. What if despite all of our scientific ministrations, the bees disappear completely. Will we be able to use flies, beetles, birds, butterflies, bats, and other creatures in the place of the honeybee? Will we resort to hand pollination with artists' brushes and cotton swabs? (Shaking self-fertile plants such as the tomato is effective.)

Staple crops like wheat and corn are pollinated by wind, some 90 cultivated flowering crops - from almonds and apples to cranberries and watermelons - need mechanical pollination. "Every third bite of food an American takes is honeybee pollinated, with the bees being trucked from state to state.

Let's up the ante a little bit and hear a quote from Einstein, "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."

This is a serious problem.