Arizona

Across the U.S. and around the world pollinators are in deep trouble, some at risk of extinction. There is much talk and very little action over this crisis. This is not a "sweep under the rug" issue we can ignore until it goes away. How serious it it? Forests, wetlands, prairies, croplands, and every other terrestrial habitat on the planet depend on a healthy pollinator community to keep us and our animal friends well fed and healthy. Globally about 85% of all flowering plants require assistance from the birds and bees etc to produce seeds and fruit. Without them the earth's biodiversity would plummet. There is evidence this is already happening.

The players in this high stakes game are well known. They include bats, hummingbirds, songbirds, and other vertebrates. But the key players are small, the spineless ones that buzz around our back yards. With a few exceptions (butterflies) we call them bugs and like to zap them with poisonous spray-honeybees, bumblebees, wasps, and others. Maybe we should rethink the spray idea.

Agriculture depends heavily on managed European honeybees. Colonies are trucked from farm to farm like migrant workers to pollinate a hundred or so commercial crops, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and more. There are about three million of these colonies in the U.S. alone and they contribute more than $24 billion to our nation's economy each year. There's an old saying that perhaps needs oft repeating in today's fast paced citified world-you can thank a honeybee for one out of every three bites you eat!

It began in 2006. Worker bees leaving the colony for a day on the farm and not returning to the hive. The queen was abandoned by her subjects in this "rapture of the bees." Losses from 30-90% were reported by beekeepers in the first few years of what came to be called colony collapse disorder. Farmers flocked to Washington to tell lawmakers of their plight. They predicted a tenfold increase in food prices if the honeybee crisis persisted. What have our leaders done in the ten years since this began? Absolutely nothing! (next photo)

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Across the U.S. and around the world pollinators are in deep trouble, some at risk of extinction. There is much talk and very little action over this crisis. This is not a "sweep under the rug" issue we can ignore until it goes away. How serious it it? Forests, wetlands, prairies, croplands, and every other terrestrial habitat on the planet depend on a healthy pollinator community to keep us and our animal friends well fed and healthy. Globally about 85% of all flowering plants require assistance from the birds and bees etc to produce seeds and fruit. Without them the earth's biodiversity would plummet. There is evidence this is already happening. The players in this high stakes game are well known. They include bats, hummingbirds, songbirds, and other vertebrates. But the key players are small, the spineless ones that buzz around our back yards. With a few exceptions (butterflies) we call them bugs and like to zap them with poisonous spray-honeybees, bumblebees, wasps, and others. Maybe we should rethink the spray idea. Agriculture depends heavily on managed European honeybees. Colonies are trucked from farm to farm like migrant workers to pollinate a hundred or so commercial crops, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and more. There are about three million of these colonies in the U.S. alone and they contribute more than $24 billion to our nation's economy each year. There's an old saying that perhaps needs oft repeating in today's fast paced citified world-you can thank a honeybee for one out of every three bites you eat! It began in 2006. Worker bees leaving the colony for a day on the farm and not returning to the hive. The queen was abandoned by her subjects in this "rapture of the bees." Losses from 30-90% were reported by beekeepers in the first few years of what came to be called colony collapse disorder. Farmers flocked to Washington to tell lawmakers of their plight. They predicted a tenfold increase in food prices if the honeybee crisis persisted. What have our leaders done in the ten years since this began? Absolutely nothing! (next photo)

© Danny Kimberlin 2015