The Honey Bee, a messenger of love

Been watching interesting but scary films about honey bees, colony collapse disorder (CCD) and wider issues.

When we had an allotment (early part of the noughties), a Belgian friend kept bees and was worried about them being ill. Since then, this issue has really hit the media.



In 'Vanishing of Bees' (2009), we learn that pollination was worth $50 billions a year in the USA around 2009. I suppose that's why people started paying attention. Great explanation of the impact of monoculture and pesticides, old and new.
Unfortunately, the subtitles of the French interview are incorrect. They mention bad French keepers, whereas the interviewee talks about the French (bee) disease. The French state led the way by banning Bayer's Gaucho systemic pesticide. The UK and the USA have not followed in these foot steps.



'More than Honey' (2012) is very powerful. It contains very precise elements about the science of bee keeping, from queen breeding to parasites. I have been haunted by the fate of this poor old man who had to destroy his great-grandfather's hive of native black honey bees contaminated in a secluded valley in the middle of the Alps. The sights of bees in the post and pollination by human hands in China are also shocking.

It's also interesting to hear one almond tree grower defend monoculture on the basis of his 35 years' experience, whereas in 'Vanishing of the Bees' they showed how almond tree growers demanded the import of Australian bees to compensate for the loss of American bees to CCD. It was reported in February 2015 that this same grower, owner of Paramount, has now purchased Headwaters Farm, which was founded by Dave Mendes, who featured in Vanishing.

Commercial bee-keeping is just mind-boggling: they drive hives around the USA to pesticide-stuffed orchards (two-week window in February in California for almonds, apple and cherry blossom in Washington in March-April, apricot tree in North Dakota in the summer, etc.), where the colonies contaminate each other, and they feed bees sugar water and antibiotics.

15,000 hives at $150 per 2-week stay - are we looking at $7 million yearly turnover?

See the Co-operative's Plan Bee initiative.

See the Soil Association's Keep Britain Buzzing campaign.

See Friends of the Earth's The Bee Cause campaign.

Please sign 38 Degrees' petition to keep the ban on bee-killing pesticides.

#savebees