You are currently browsing the daily archive for September 6th, 2007.
Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word. There are no exceptions to this rule.
- Stephen King
If you’re like me, perhaps you’ve wondered where are all the bees this year? Normally, they are buzzing around fields here in Pennsylvania, threatening to sting me any time I venture outdoors. This phenomenon has been witnessed in many states earlier this year and I can only assume it has spread since. I could count on one hand the number of honeybees I’ve seen this year: one. I tried to kill it today, actually. I’m glad I didn’t because even though I have these violent impulses, I always regret taking something’s life — even something as far down the ladder as a bee. So far this feeling has yet to manifest itself in the form of vegetarianism, but I’m getting close. If I had to actually kill the meat myself to eat it, I’d be there.
Anyhow, back to honeybees. The Discovery Channel is reporting a new possibility for the mass die-off: Israeli acute paralysis virus, which kills off worker bees and causes the collapse of the colony, aptly named Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Other possibilities include parasitic mites, pesticides, poor nutrition and the stress of travel as beekeepers cart colonies around in search of the best pollen collection areas. At least it doesn’t appear global warming is to blame, but I wonder what will be the repercussions for flowering plants next year.
