Seen many honeybees lately? PBS is airing "Silence of the Bees" tonight at 8pm EDT

[Bozita]

I saw this "Nature" documentary last fall. It's the most thorough effort to explain this phenomenon to make it to the world of teevee, imho. Four stars.


http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/bees/?campaign=pbshomefeatures_1_naturebrsilenceofthebees_2008-06-15

In the winter of 2006, a strange phenomenon fell upon honeybee hives across the country. Without a trace, millions of bees vanished from their hives.

A precious pollinator of fruits and vegetables, the disappearing bees left billions of dollars of crops at risk and threatened our food supply. The epidemic set researchers scrambling to discover why honeybees were dying in record numbers -- and to stop the epidemic in its tracks before it spread further.

Silence of the Bees is the first in-depth look at the search to uncover what is killing the honeybee. The filmmakers of Bees take viewers around the world to the sites of fallen hives, to high-tech labs, where scientists race to uncover clues, and even deep inside honeybee colonies. Silence of the Bees is the story of a riveting, ongoing investigation to save honeybees from dying out. The film goes beyond the unsolved mystery to tell the story of the honeybee itself, its invaluable impact on our diets and takes a look at what's at stake if honeybees disappear. Silence of the Bees explores the complex world of the honeybee in crisis and instills in viewers a sense of urgency to learn ways to help these extraordinary animals.

Silence of the Bees airs on PBS Sunday, June 15 at 8 p.m. (check local listings). View the production credits.

Watch an exclusive online podcast. In this podcast, scientists and bee experts featured in the program discuss the crucial role that honeybees, a "keystone species," play in our economy and ecosystems, as well as bees' fascinating social organization and what we can do to reverse the decline of nature's pollinators.

Online content for "Silence of the Bees" was originally posted October 2007.

[Benhurst]

1. Again this year, there aren't very many honey bees in my part of

Western North Carolina.

[devilgrrl]

2. Thankfully, I have seen honey bees around in Los Angeles.

According to a few bee keepers I know, they claim that it's business as usual. :shrug:

I sure hope it stays that way. :scared:

[pt22]

3. I don't dispute that there is a problem but I see quite a lot of them around here

36N/95W
:D

[DemoTex]

4. Honeybees swarmed in my patio arbor in April (photo).

The beekeeper that removed them estimated 20,000 bees. He now has them in a hive with my name on the honey! I can't wait until he robs the hive next spring.

[Speck Tater]

5. When I checked my apple orchard after it first bloomed

I saw no bees at all. Then about a week later, the trees were swarming with bees. (Willamette Valley OR)

[juno jones]

6. More bees here than last year.

The few I saw last year seemed lethargic and dazed. This year they seem to be OK, not quite as many as there should be, but healthy and active.

Bellingham, WA.

[madokie]

7. No and it really has me worried

earlier when the fruit trees bloomed I seen quite a few bees and we have fruit but now that the tomatos and the other veggies are needing the pollination I don't see any bees at all. I guess I'll prolly be trying fried squash flowers before summer is out as it looks now. I hear they're good

[Le Taz Hot]

13. Tomatoes are self-polinating,

as are most vegetables. Just FYI.

[madokie]

15. I learn something new every day

We have a big patch of elderberry bushes and I was just out there looking and there were not one bee to be seen and they are in full bloom. If they make berries I plan to try my luck with making some wine.

[JAbuchan08]

16. but tomatoes are technically fruit aren't they?

so are they self polinating or no?

[earth mom]

8. K & R! nt

[hoosier_lefty]

9. I saw 1 (one) last year

I've seen maybe a dozen so far this year.

I hope people realize how important they are.

[Mojorabbit]

10. I went to a bee keepers conference

Sat and a queen producer said that aside from the pesticide problem he has seen a decrease in the pheromones the queens are producing. The excrete the pheromones on the pads of their feet and this runs the hive in a way. He used to rub his hands after handling queens on his jeans and have loads of bees sitting on the sides of his legs attracted by the scent. Now not so much.

[kestrel91316]

11. I saw MILLIONS of them happily feeding on the wildflowers in the

Santa Monica Mountains about a month ago (before the furnace-like heat hit early). The buzzing was deafening. No lack here.

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. Bumblebees yes, honeys.. not so sure. Maybe 1?

[kentuck]

14. I saw one on my back porch about an hour ago...

It went from from the purple petunias to the yellow pansies and seemed to be enjoying itself. :-) I saw quite a few earlier in the spring.

[Hekate]

17. I have an enormous oregano plant that the bees seem to favor. Why that plant and not the lemon balm

...or the rosemary I don't know, but they are always happily pollinating the oregano. Somewhere there's a hive of odd-tasting honey. They like the Mexican lime tree too, and I learned the hard way to wear a hat when I duck my head into that tree to pick a few limes. One got into my hair and when I ran my hand over my head later on my palm got stung but good.

When I grow tomatoes I don't see the bees paying much attention so I hand-pollinate by tickling the flowers. Maybe I should interplant with oregano!

I know the colonies are collapsing but my yard seems to be doing okay here in the Santa Barbara area. Complete neglect and no pesticides may be the key.

Seriously, we are going to be in big, big trouble in the supermarket if this keeps up. This (as far as I am concerned) is just one more instance of how the human species itself is heading for a population crash, and while the species will survive, millions and possibly billions of individuals will suffer the consequences.

Hekate

[Two Americas]

18. more than ever

I have been in hundreds of fruit orchards over the last two years, fruit being the main crop that depend on supplemental pollination from European honey bees, and have seen no shortage anywhere, nor have any of hundreds of growers mentioned any problem. Not sure why this particular story, of all of the challenges faced by agricutlure, has so much appeal for people.

What is happening with agriculture and our food supply, is domination and manipulation by a handful of corporations. Perhaps the stories about bees are a distraction to keep us from looking at that?

"If bees disappear we will starve." Hello, people are already starving from corporate manipulation of the food supply and the "free market" license to kill that has been granted them.

How can European honeybees be "part of the ecosystem" when they are not even a native species? Period collapse of hives has been recorded for centuries. We cannot know that "bees are dying in record numbers." They are probably living in record numbers.

[phatkatt]

19. I've seen ZERO this year, and I have been looking.

North Alabama.

My squash and tomato plants have blooms but no fruit (might be too much nitrogen).

My girlfriend has a Lamb's Ear plant that is usually covered with bees. It has plenty of bumble bees but no honey bees.

I'm scared.