Honeybee

My first non-bird blip in 3 weeks. Feels weird.

Visiting my parents for the weekend before I head into Yosemite National Park for my summer job. I didn't leave the house today and with empty feeders in the backyard, we didn't really have any avian visitors....I should speak to the birdseed supply committee about that one.....


I came across this article recently, which describes the dramatic decline of U.S. commercial honeybee colonies. One-third of colonies died or disappeared last year. One third. In one year. The article identifies several possible causes, though it's difficult to say what's doing the most damage. Common pesticides and fungicides used in the U.S. are known to be toxic to honeybees. Extensive monocropping of plants like soy are leaving many bees with a much less varied and nutritious diet, perhaps making them weaker. Viruses and parasites have been found in bee populations. The rate of this decline is unsustainable; if honeybees continue to disappear by one-third every year, pollination of crops will eventually become an issue and we will be facing problems with food production.

I've been coming across a number of unsettling statistics like this concerning the environment lately. Being an avid admirer of the natural world, the health of the planet and its biodiversity has always been a central concern for me. To some degree though I've taken a step back from the discussion because it tends to put me in a catatonic state--one in which I can only seem to lament and weep for the planet's losses. I don't handle the statistics very well. Yet for some reason now I'm asking myself to look at it, look at the problems, and while it's really upsetting, I'm doing better at standing my ground.

With respect to the bees, I keep asking myself, what does this mean for me? What do I do? I can't take this information, walk outside, and physically protect honeybees like this one in my parents' backyard. I feel pretty overwhelmed. I always do, as I think is true of most people who hear these facts and realize their implications. I know there are steps I can take as an individual to live a life that does less harm to the bees. Stop supporting pesticide and fungicide use by always buying organic food. Take my dollars away from processed foods, which encourage the extensive monocrops like soy and corn. Back political figures and measures that aim to bring about a more sustainable future. Yet I'm one of some 300 million people and I know that many of them, for whatever reasons, don't have the ability or desire to do the things that make it possible for bees to exist and pollinate our crops. And if that's the case, I feel a crushing tide sweeping over me.

....Part of me wants to wrap up this write-up in a neat bow, like "All I can do is my best and live my life according to my values," but it wouldn't really reflect the upturned state I'm in now. It's like an environmental existentialist fog. I feel lethargic but I haven't been able to sleep much either. The answers haven't come yet.