Could It Bee?
I haven't seen a single Apis mellifera this spring. Bubble bees, yes. Honey bees, no. Not a one. I'm concerned.
The honey bee, you see, not only produces honey but also contributes directly to something like 90 commercial crops grown in the United States by buzzing from flower to flower and spreading pollen as they go from plant to plant. (Indeed, they have been at it for at least 35 million years.) No pollination, no peaches, no pears, no pumpkins.
Could it be that we are losing the honey bee?
Bees have been dying in huge numbers as the result of something called Colony Collapse Disease (CCD) of late. For reason unknown, the worker bees — the pollinators — suddenly disappear, leaving the drone bees and the queen bee in the colony or hive to die. What happens to them and why is unknown.
Now, this is not a spotted owl or snail darter endangerment by habitat destruction scenario. It's not even a raptor endangerment by DDT pollution scenario. Nope. It's endangerment of our daily bread scenario. In fact, about every third bite we take is dependent on bee pollination. And, although not quite on the scale of crude oil endangerment, it does pose a threat to crops valued at about $15 billion annually.
I am happy to report that the US Department of Agriculture is on top of the situation and last year released a "Colony Collapse Disorder Action Plan" and is spending a whopping $7.7 million to avoid this threat to our nation food supply. That's roughly equivalent to what we spend every 36 minutes propagating the war in Iraq!
This, of course, a wonderful opportunity for Big Business to step up. And, it has. General Mills, through its Haagen-Dazs unit, is contributing $250 thousand dollars to both Pennsylvania State University and the University of California, Davis to fund research into the bee colony collapse disorder. And, that's what General Mills earns pre-tax about every 55 minutes.
Katty Pien, flag-waving American patriot and brand director with Haagen-Dazs, sez "This is the first time that Haagen-Dazs has adopted a cause like this. We are taking this very, very seriously because it impacts not just our brand but the entire food industry."
Yes, indeed, the loss of Haagen-Dazs raspberry would be a national disaster!
The honey bee, you see, not only produces honey but also contributes directly to something like 90 commercial crops grown in the United States by buzzing from flower to flower and spreading pollen as they go from plant to plant. (Indeed, they have been at it for at least 35 million years.) No pollination, no peaches, no pears, no pumpkins.
Could it be that we are losing the honey bee?
Bees have been dying in huge numbers as the result of something called Colony Collapse Disease (CCD) of late. For reason unknown, the worker bees — the pollinators — suddenly disappear, leaving the drone bees and the queen bee in the colony or hive to die. What happens to them and why is unknown.
Now, this is not a spotted owl or snail darter endangerment by habitat destruction scenario. It's not even a raptor endangerment by DDT pollution scenario. Nope. It's endangerment of our daily bread scenario. In fact, about every third bite we take is dependent on bee pollination. And, although not quite on the scale of crude oil endangerment, it does pose a threat to crops valued at about $15 billion annually.
I am happy to report that the US Department of Agriculture is on top of the situation and last year released a "Colony Collapse Disorder Action Plan" and is spending a whopping $7.7 million to avoid this threat to our nation food supply. That's roughly equivalent to what we spend every 36 minutes propagating the war in Iraq!
This, of course, a wonderful opportunity for Big Business to step up. And, it has. General Mills, through its Haagen-Dazs unit, is contributing $250 thousand dollars to both Pennsylvania State University and the University of California, Davis to fund research into the bee colony collapse disorder. And, that's what General Mills earns pre-tax about every 55 minutes.
Katty Pien, flag-waving American patriot and brand director with Haagen-Dazs, sez "This is the first time that Haagen-Dazs has adopted a cause like this. We are taking this very, very seriously because it impacts not just our brand but the entire food industry."
Yes, indeed, the loss of Haagen-Dazs raspberry would be a national disaster!
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