The Sudden Disappearance of Honeybees

By Louise McCoy
Epoch Times New York Staff

A tragedy, noticeably starting as many as six years ago, has suddenly escalated since October 2006. What was noticed six years ago was the steady disappearance in numbers of our natural pollinators—those insects, birds, and bats that cause our flowers to become fruits. Since October 2006 a massive disappearance of honeybees on an unprecedented scale has occurred. One Midwestern beekeeper, who had 13,000 healthy hives as of November 2006, has now lost 96 percent of his bees, and is facing bankruptcy...

Genetically modified plants have herbicidal and insecticidal genes that have been found transmitted to the gut bacteria of young bees that haven't left the hive, according to a German study. Because viruses are used to transmit genes from one organism to another, this has led to an unnatural open door between species through which genes can slip....

In United States there are 130 million acres of genetically modified crops, which make it possible to use lots of herbicide without killing the crops. There are also plants with insecticidal genes that attract bees. Bees work ceaselessly to supply us with about 14 billion dollars worth of food. Someone estimated that about one third of what we eat is made possible by bees. Fans, helicopters, and other methods have been unsatisfactory substitutes for pollination. See: The Sudden Disappearance of Honeybees