Where are all the honeybees?

Back in the day the biggest worry we had about bees was getting stung. If that were all we had to worry about now we would be in pretty good shape. Unfortunately bees are disappearing in record numbers. Some estimates have a quarter of the country's 2.4 million bee colonies gone. That means a half-a million bee colonies have just vanished.

The scientists call it Colony Collapse Disorder. But there does not seem to be a clear answer as to what is behind it. Some of the theories are, parasites, poor nutrition, and high stress in the colonies from transport and chemical residue contamination from certain pesticides.

This is not something that will affect us in 20 to 40 years like global warming. Which seems much easier to ignore (although I wish it wasn't) this is going to affect our food supply pretty quickly. Approximately 1/3 of our diet is dependant on bees' pollination.

That buzz loving company Burt's Bees is funding research by the Honey Bee Health Improvement Project, which will focus on such things as breeding stock improvements, best practices for commercial beekeeping, promoting forage opportunities and improving nutritional resources

If you would like to take personal action you can plant wildflowers that bees particularly like.  Here are a few suggestions, Calendula, Shasta Daisy, Lance-Leaved Coreopsis, Purple Coneflower and Sweet William Catchfly.

If you would like to read more about this issue: http://www.honey.com/