Some warn that the disappearing bees are an omen of ecological disaster. Bees busily spread the pollinated seeds around everywhere they need to go.
(i read a story on metafilter related to this)
Killered Bees. The NYTimes covers the mysterious collapse of commercial honeybee colonies over the last 5-months, covering
dozens of states. The disease,
Colony Collapse Disorder, does not have a determined cause. The
Canary Database indicates that
bees can serve as
"canaries in a coalmine" for human diseases, as many other animals do. Some of the suspected causative agents (as reported [
pdf] by
Penn State) include a immunodeficiency, the hive consumption of high-fructose corn syrup, nutritional stress, parasites, infectious diseases, stress due to colony splitting and relocation, insecticides, and antibiotic use. The die-offs are likely to adversely impact both
prices and crop yields.
posted on Feb 28, 2007
So, recent evidence shows it's due to some Monsanto-related eco-poisoning?
Unfortunately, it's not surprising really. Since Bush took office more corporations have been goinghog-wild polluting and ignoring laws. Principally at issue is that there is simply no incentive to obey the law. In the unlikely event that a corporation gets caught, they pay a fine that is less than it would cost to dispose of hazardous waste properly, so they are quite happy with the current situation. As many that are concerned remind, the laws are already in place, the problem is that there is little to no enforcement. You know, sort of like the immigration issue that has now come to a head because a vested interest has been facilitating a deliberate lack of enforcement for over a generation now.