Pesticides, GM crops, and honeybees

[kaph]

This article on disappearing honeybees chilled my blood.  Without honeybees (who do the most important agricultural work for free), we are collectively fooked.  I'm trying to take my brother-in-law's policy to heart, and pray to God that both (1) things will get better and the worst-case scenario won't be realized, and (2) folks will wake up and

Comments

Honeybees

[bruorton]

Since I had heard that the problem seemed to be bees' disorientation causing them to not make it back to the hive, I had thought the concern about cell phone towers plausible. But this article implies that a compromised immune system may be involved -- as a cause or just an additional effect is never discussed -- which I hadn't heard, and raises quite a few more questions. This is proving quite a mystery.

A related problem that hadn't even crossed my mind was the mention of honeybee monoculture. As with many plant crops, I can see why we've come to rely overmuch on that one pollinator, since it produces a valuable crop while it does its pollinating (to the extent that we don't really think about how priceless that service is). Perhaps an equal amount of effort should be made to find and propagate some alternate native pollinators that to diversify the job?