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The Saturday Food Chain with Michael Olson- July 13th 2013- The Vanishing of Our Bees- Bee Colony Collapse- Guests: Chensheng Lu, Associate Professor Environmental Health, Harvard University and David Hackenburg Sr, Beekeeper, Hackenburg Apiarie

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THE VANISHING OF OUR BEES-   BEE COLONY COLLAPSE

Food Chain Radio Show Host Michael Olson

Chensheng Lu, Ass Professor Environmental Health, Harvard Univ.

David Hackenburg Sr, Beekeeper, Hackenburg Apiaries

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Who, or what, is causing our bees to vanish?

Who, or what, is causing our bees to vanish?

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This right out of science fiction: You wake up one morning to discover that every single person in Chicago has simply disappeared without a trace, leaving their breakfast on the kitchen table!  Poof!  Gone!

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Then everyone in Denver, Tuscon, and Charlotte disappear, leaving nothing behind to say why they left, or where they have gone.

Hard to believe something like that could happen, but it is happening to our bee colonies.  One day the bees simply disappear, leaving their eggs and food behind.  Poof!  Gone!

What makes the collapsing of our bee colonies especially interesting is the fact that bees are responsible for one-third of the food we eat.  If bees disappear – and bees are disappearing  – then our supply of food will diminish, and its costs will increase.

So who, or what, is causing our bees to vanish?

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Some say the causes are natural, and include global warming, trachial mites, and malnutrition.  “Its just nature,” they say.
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So who, or what, is causing our bees to vanish?

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Others say the causes are man-made, and point the finger at neonicotinoids (“new nicotine pesticide”) like acetamiprid, clothianidin and imidacloprid.

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The “neonics,” as they are called, are extremely efficient killers of invertebrate insect pests, and consequently are now used to coat most of the seeds planted in commercial corn and soybean crops.  Though not considered pests, bees are invertebrate insects and vulnerable to neonics.  “It’s people,” they say.

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Thus we have a difference of opinion on an issue of major significance to our food chain…

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Who, or what, is causing our bees to vanish?

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