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“the closer we examine the honeybee, the more we realize the workings of a beehive encompass territories beyond our comprehension” Leo Tolstoy

The official definition of Colony Collapse Disorder is:

Main Entry: colony collapse disorder

Definition: the mysterious disappearance of beehives, due to an ailment of honeybees.

Symptoms: (1) the rapid loss of adult worker bees from afflicted colonies as evidenced by weak or dead colonies with excess brood populations relative to adult bee populations; (2) a noticeable lack of dead worker bees both within and surrounding the affected hives; and (3) the delayed invasion of hive pests; and the delayed robbing of honey from neighboring honeybee colonies.
But what does that mean in lay terms? (1) something has gone seriously wrong with the honeybees, and they are disappearing by the billions; (2) there are very few dead bees in or around the affected hives, meaning the bees are dying elsewhere; (3) pests and honey robbers, who are quick to invade and rob an undefended bee hive are not doing so.
According to estimates by the US Department of Agriculture, CCD is present in 35 states. In 2007, beekeepers lost 32% of their colonies; in 2008 losses were 36%, in 2009, 29% and in 2010 35%. The most devastating single loss in commercial beekeeping happened last year, when Brett Adee lost a devastating 2 billion bees in less than two weeks time.
You may be thinking "Bummer about the bees, but I'm not a beekeeper, so it doesn't really affect me." Wrong! An old proverb says, "no bees no honey, no work no money" but bees do a lot more than make honey! Bee

s are responsible for pollinating one out of every three bites of food we put in our mouths! Without bee pollination, our diets would basically consist of non bee-pollinated foods: wheat, oats, rice and corn. Bees pollinate over 15 billion dollars worth of food annually in the U.S alone. The shortage of U.S. bees is already so serious that there aren't enough U.S. bees to pollinate the almond crops; bees are being shipped over from other countries to pollinate our crops, which is a short term fix, and not a sustainable practice in the long run.

David Hackenberg, a commercial beekeeper since 1962, is widely credited for bringing CCD to public attention in 2006. Many beekeepers had been experiencing huge unexplained bee losses, but when they voiced their concerns to the Department of Agriculture and the EPA, they were met with a "blame the victim" mentality; they were told they were simply bad beekeepers. After losing 400 hives equaling around 240,000 bees in a matter of days, Hackenberg refused to be silenced. The media got ahold of his story in 2006, which sparked a world wide look at the problem; soon after an EPA task f

orce was formed to look into the mysterious and devastating disappearance of the bees.

in 2005, the EPA approved a new systemic pesticide called clothianidin to be used by commercial farmers on corn and other crops. Non-systemic pesticides are applied to the leaves of the plant, they are viable only until they wear off or are washed off the plant. Systemic pesticides are applied to the seed of the plant; the pesticide literally becomes a part of the plant and is expressed in leaves, flowers, pollen and nectar. In 2006, beekeepers began suffering huge losses in their hives-coincidence? The EPA would have us think so.
The Environmental Protection Agency is in charge of approving the use of pesticides in the U.S, a very important responsibility. However, the EPA does no tests or studies of their own, insanely, the manufacturer of the product funds its own independent study, and the EPA approves or disapproves of the products tested, based only on the information provided by the manufacturer. The systemic pesticide clothianidin in marketed by the Bayer Corporation under the brand name of Poncho or Gaucho. The tests that were performed on this product and approved by the EPA consisted of feeding adult worker bees small portions of clothianidin in sugar water, then watching the bees for 2 or 3 days...that's it, no more testing was deemed necessary or important by Bayer or the EPA.

But, as in any good mystery, there is a twist. A inter-office EPA memo was leaked that states that among other things, "Clothianidin’s major risk concern is to nontarget insects (that is, honey bees). Clothianidin is a neonicotinoid insecticide that is both persistent and systemic. Acute toxicity studies to honeybees show that

clothianidin is highly toxic on both a contact and an oral basis." So Bayer funds a sham of a research project, and the EPA knowing full well the dangers of the pesticide approves it anyway, then Bayer sits back and collects their billions-makes you wonder who the EPA is really protecting, doesn't it? Click here to read the entire bone-chilling memo.
Independent research presents a more rational and realistic picture. When hives were studied, they showed incredible amounts of pesticides in the colony-in brood,comb, pollen and honey. The cumulative effect of constant exposure to pesticides, coupled with the now common usage of clothianidin based systemic pesticides has proven to be the straw that broke the bees back.
One study placed bees on pesticide and non-pesticide sunflowers. The bees on the untreated sunflower landed and collected pollen in a neat circular motion. The bees on the pesticide treated flower moved in an awkward, zig-zag pattern, constantly stopping to clean themselves, until they eventually just fell off the sunflowers in defeat.
Studies show that the bees immune systems are horribly compromised, in a manner similar to HIV in humans. They also suffer from nervous system disorders, including the ability to learn and remember. A

bee cannot live more than 24 hours without her hive and her family. The bees are leaving their homes in record numbers, leaving behind their young and their queen to starve, while they fly around disoriented and lost until they die.
The forager bees are out doing their jobs, collecting nectar and pollen for their family. They bring home the nectar and make the honey from the pesticide treated flowers. This poisoned food is consumed by the other bees and fed to the brood; the bees are constantly bombarded, inside and out, with pesticides.
Among their other many shortcomings, the ridiculous and unscientific studies bought and paid for by uber-wealthy corporate giants do not take into account the time difference between cause and effect.
The bees are suffering all these ill-effects of pesticides while pollinating the very food we eat; makes you stop and think doesn't it?
So what can we do to help the bees, our planet and ourselves?
1. Knowledge is power. Empower yourself and help educate others about whats going on. Go here to find out how you can host a screening of an excellent new documentary called "The Vanishing of the Bees" and sign their petition while you're there. They also have a Facebook page that you can join to get news on CCD and related topics.
2. Write a letter to your Senators and Congresspeople-it's proven that politicians respond to them. Go here to sign a petition to the EPA to ban bee-killing pesticides.
3. Keep informed-go here for an excellent article, and links to more information. Go here to read the Vanishing of the Bees blog.
4. Be proactive-we vote with our forks 3 times a day. Vote for non-pesticide treated foods!
5. Stop mowing, weeding, fertilizing and treating your lawn with pesticides-grow a garden instead! Good for the bees, good for the planet, good for you!
6. Be Green-stop using chemicals and pesticides around your house as well, every chemical you don't use helps!

"For life is all one: as big as the world and as small as the honeybee" Hattie Ellis