Where Have All The Flowers Gone?: Buzz on the Pollinator Crisis.

Hello everyone!

Some of you might have heard about the concern over honey bees and the future of pollinators in agriculture. In particular honey bees in the US, Europe, and Britain are being threatened with a problem called "Colony Collapse Disorder". While, it may sound like it was invented by some mid-20th century British General, it refers to a rather mysterious problem where honey bees seemed to simply abandon the hives and their Queen. Often there is no open sign of disease.

Although, one set of researchers thinks they have found the parasite causing the problem and a relatively simple treatment, I'd like to use this as an opportunity to discuss the ways in which some people find reasons to not take these sorts of problems seriously. Of course, the solution may or may not be as simple as the article suggests. Various other researchers have looked at the varroa mite, the insecticide imidacloprid, climate change, cell phones, and other possible causes. Namely that one article described the idea of a pollination crisis as a "myth". Now the article didn't deny that colony collapse disorder exists. But rather he suggested that it wasn't that serious of a threat to the world food supply because:

1) Most agriculture doesn't depend on insect pollinators, which are only used for "luxury" foods.

2) The disorder does not seem to be common outside of North America and Europe.

First of all, you might be wondering what exactly they mean by luxury items. As it turns out bee pollinators aren't involved in the production of caviar or diamonds. Luxury according to the authors of this article apparently includes most fruits, vegetables, beans, and tree nuts. And lest you think the authors must work for the Weston Price Foundation, alfalfa and a lot of pasture plants that are used to feed animals also depend on largely insect pollinators. Of course, wheat, rice, and corn are largely able to function without insect pollinators. Potatoes of course can be grown without pollination. However, in order to gain any biological diversity one does need to grow potato seeds and flowers some small portion of the time. And as history tells out low diversity crops, including potatoes, have been known to bring severe consequences.

Do the authors expect humanity to subsist entirely on cereal grains and cornfed beef? Does this article mean that "the masses" ought to get their vitamin C from supplements or fortified milks and cereals?

Then there's the issue of not considering it a problem because so far the problem doesn't seem widepsread outside of North America and Europe. In addition to assuming that it won't spread, does that mean that it would be OK in the longer term of if all the fruits and vegetables in the US and Europe had to be imported from somewhere else? Do the authors expect fruits and vegetables to be shipped from Latin America, Asia, and Africa to Europe and North America as luxury goods? Or do they expect North Americans and European to simply do without and satisfy and nutritional gaps with supplements and fiber tabs?

One can't help but be reminded Bush I's then famous "Ray Ban Plan", back when Ray Bans were still considered very stylish. (Hi Bro!), where the administration seriously proposed dealing with ozone depletion not by cutting ozone depleting pollutants, but by educating the public about the use of hats, sunblock, and sunglasses!!

Another aspect of the pollinator crisis that has not been talked about is the fact that North American pollination is heavily done by European Honey Bees, who are not actually native to the continent. By some estimates, native and wild bees can also be effective.

The trouble is that a good deal of wild bee habitat has been threatened by development. And there is no consensus on whether or not, other types of bees can fill in the gap. Nor is their much knowledge on the effect these events may have on wild plants, and ecosystems.

So that's my take on the pollinator crisis. See you later. And.

Say Goodnight Readers!!