I was floating around msnbc a while back(yea I know) and ya see, I'm a volunteer at a botanic garden so I'm always on the lookout for interesting information about plants and pollinators and whatnot. So today's conservation/environmentalism talk reminded me that back at the end of April I'd flagged one of the
scariest articles I've ever read. Here are a couple of paras that kicked me way way back...
The varroa mite -- which kills bees by feeding on their blood -- wiped out an astonishing 50 percent of honey bees in the U.S. in less than a year. It's a natural disaster that could devastate $10 billion worth of U.S. crops -- from strawberries to melons.
"The impact potential at our tables is that if honeybees cease to exist today, one-third of the food you and I eat would simply disappear," says Jerry Hayes, the chief apiarian inspector at the Florida Department Agriculture and Consumer Services".
Whoa...what the...? Honeybees cease to exist? No more melons? When did that happen?
I read a little more deeply (lots of articles suddenly popped up in the last few days on the subject--could it be a solstice thing?)
Without honeybees a lot of our major crops don't get pollinated--no pollination, no crop. Pumpkins, almonds, apples, blueberries, melons, cucumbers, lots of our vegetables--all are dependent on bee pollination. Other bees do it, other pollinators do it, but not as effectively as honeybees can. As one article puts it--imagine a meteor was about to hit the Midwest and the impact of that meteor would wipe out 1/3 of our nation's food supply. That's the potential impact from the loss of our honeybee population.
Now forgive me while I get into the nitty-gritty of this for a few moments. I promise we'll get back to that "what the fu---? who stole my pumpkin/apple/strawberry pie (yes pie)" impact of all this in a moment.
Now the issue is with the varroa mite, right? So it's nature doin' her thing. Right? Those wimpy honeybees just aren't fit enough to survive the mighty mites. But of course, the varroa mite has become resistant to pesticides over time --and that's a big part of the problem.
And then there are those that say, it ain't just the mites
Now these folks here think the pesticides are the heros, even though most of the evidence is to the contrary.
Here's a pretty comprehensive picture of the issue.
No matter how you slice it it looks like we could be headed for a heap o' trouble unless some miracle science heads this one off at the pass.
But there is some good news on the horizon in the form of a natural remedy that beats back varroa without harming the bees. I just wonder if we can save the honeybees in time.
Ok, so what's my point with all this--
Weell... We can all talk about conservation vs environmentalism, we can all debate about tomatos and tomahtos, while we watch em disappear right out from under us. This is a serious example of something seemingly very small in the environmental picture(mites impact on bees--who cares, right?) that has a clear and present supermacro impact on us and our very way of living. And that is some scary fertilizer.
Hey, I'm no expert but I'd say if you bring the issues of environmental balance to the table of average americans(the farmers and beekeepers already know) and show them not just the economic impact but the potential deprivation--I think they'll get it.
Outsource our very food supply to other countries? No more nuts (or outlandish prices for same)? No more strawberries? No more melons? One out of every three bites you eat taken away. Some of our favorite foods. Think about that. Imagine the outrage--and this piece of trouble is already (almost) upon us. What else is waiting in the grass...?
More links:
http://www.capitalpress.info/main.asp?SectionID=108&SubSectionID=852&ArticleID=16949&TM=
9782.002
http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050529/NEWS01/505290307/1079
http://www.news-record.com/news/local/bees_053105.htm