Nearly No Fruits, No Veggies by 2035 – Are You Ready?

For those who have not yet viewed the PBS Documentary The Silence of the Bees, the potential loss of the majority of fruits and vegetables from our planet by the year 2035 may seem like an absurd, perhaps even an alarmist notion.  However, one viewing of this “must see” documentary ought to convince anyone that in this case, there truly is cause for genuine alarm; so much so, that the alarm must drive us all to positive and concrete action - now.

Here – in a nutshell – is the summary of a problem that is unlike one that has ever been faced previously by mankind in history:  Starting in the Winter of 2006, millions of bees vanished without a trace from their hives across the United States and Europe, and are still continuing to do so.  The disappearance of the  honey bees - who are the  indispensable pollinators of fruits and vegetables – has left billions of dollars of crops at risk and has threatened our food supply in a manner that has never been experienced before.  Given the unprecedented nature of the  problem, and the agricultural nightmare that looms ahead with the loss of the vast majority of fruits and vegetables, scientists are now scrambling to understand the causes behind the disappearance of the honey bees - both in the West, as well as in many other parts of the globe.

One of the main causes that has been identified as being responsible for the disappearance of the honey bees is referred to as CCD or Colony Collapse Disorder.  It has been confirmed that a virus known as IAPV has been found in all CCD hives.  The origin of this virus is in Israel; thus, it remains to be understood how this particular virus made it to the U.S. hives.  Other possible causes of the disappearance of the bees are under study as well.  These include understanding whether the mass relocation/transportation of bees in the service of Industrialized agriculture, high crop yield, and efficiency of production has contributed to a loss of immunity in the bees, resulting in their premature death.

The problem we are left to face is an enormous one.  Scientists featured in the PBS documentary warn that if we are unable to stop the further loss of bees, we are faced with the loss of the very foods (fruits, nuts, and vegetables) that protect us from chronic illnesses.  The reality is that there are no known means to pollinate the blossoms of fruit or nut trees that can begin to compare with the efficiency of honey bees.  As an example, a hive of bees pollinates 3 million flowers a day; however, when an effort is made to pollinate flowers manually, it has been estimated that one human being can pollinate a maximum of only 3 trees a day.  Further, it is estimated that to replace honey bees with human or artificial pollinators would cost about 90 billion dollars a year in the U.S. alone; and even so, such an effort may not be sustainable for long.

The bottom line?   It is amply evident that now is the time for us to put in concerted effort and resources into finding a viable solution to this very serious problem, which,  if left unchecked, is expected to turn into a global crisis.  It is estimated that if the bees continue to disappear at the current rate, the honey bee population in the United States will cease to exist by the year 2035.

What can you do to help the bees, and both our current and future food supply?

1.  Become informed about the gravity of the problem – View The Silence of the Bees.

2.  Learn how you can help by visiting the PBS Nature Site.

3.  Check out the Web and Print Resources designed to create awareness and action steps to address this problem.

4.  Support sustainable agricultural practices that have for centuries preserved the health of honey bees.

5.  Share this post, related information, and the PBS documentary with concerned others.

Our health, our future, and the future of our food supply rests in our own hands.