As Americans, we have grown up relatively safe from the perils of foreign aggression that have weighed so heavily on the minds of those outside our borders since time immemorial. But the stinging memories so many of us harbor in the primordial recesses of our minds, often accumulated in our early childhood, tell us that in spite of the superficial safety I allude to above, we Americans are never truly safe, nor are our children, from the near threat: The enemy within.
In recent decades, there's been so much whistling past the graveyard on this count, so much obfuscation and misdirection. We hear media reports of the invasion from south of our border -- a clear attempt to divert our anxiety away from the danger in our own backyards. Nevertheless, we know this enemy is neither remote nor exotic. It isn't just something old folks in the south worry about. We see it on the streets, in our parks, even on our patios and in our window boxes.
But of course, we blogging sorts know how the mass media loves to scare simple consumers with tales of the strange and exotic. The so-called "Africanized bees" we hear so much about are just one example of the wider trend. (And does anyone really believe the media's referring to these Brazilian super bees as "Africanized" isn't just another part of their pitch to frighten and cultivate their already infantilized base of doting suburban mothers?)
But finally, just last year, good news came in the form of bad tidings for those stripy little bastards. It seems that sometime last spring there was a sudden and precipitous dying off of the common honey bee throughout the United States and other parts of the world. And not a moment too soon! Anyone familiar with the statistics surrounding bee stings and associated allergic reactions knows what a deliverance this is for Americans young and old. Hell, if even if you're not allergic and you've been stung, you're well aware of the menace bees pose.
I remember last summer taking walks around the local parks and public places and remarking how few honey bees were to be seen -- though I did note, with some alarm, the apparent increase in bumble bees. Perhaps it's still too soon to tell, but looking around lately, it looks to me as if they're still quite as dead as they were at the end of last summer. So I must ask you, dear reader, if you are a frequent walker and observer of nature such as myself, if you've noticed a decline ordinary honey bee activity in your area and whether it persists this year. It's so difficult to get news on bees unless they're the scary "African" kind, but that's what the internet is for, isn't it?
Again, this may be too hasty, but I have to hold out some hope that the age of the bee is finally over and we can now meander and picnic about our parks and woodlands without fear of molestation by insect swarms bent on pumping us full of their toxins and venom. Perhaps the grip of the honey bee on our heartland is finally loosening.