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Declining Honeybees May Threaten U.S. Crops
Honey bees don't just make honey. In fact, they are the sole pollinator for almonds. They are also the major pollinator for citrus fruits and apples. This is why there are great concerns about the current die off of the honeybee population. Even cattle can be affected as they are fed on afalfa which is pollinated by bees! The honeybee population has been in decline for years due to parasites that have invaded the colonies. When I was a child, there were honeybees all over my yard. Now I am tickled when I see one and that happens rarely, like once or twice a year!
Colony Collapse disorder has claimed about 1/4 of the bee population this past year. There have been periods of die offs like this in the past and the cause is really unknown. Theories abound as you can read about at the above link. But no one knows for sure and when you don't know the cause, preventing the problem is pretty much impossible.
Here is a quote listed on the Wikipedia page that is attributed to Albert Einstein, but no one knows for sure:
"If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man."
To me, this problem seems way more serious than any other problem out there. And can you imagine how the cost of fruit will continue to skyrocket? I went to purchase apples the other day. I needed them for an experiment. They were 2.00 a pound! How many apples are in a pound? These were 1/2 pound each which means I got 2 apples for 2.00. This is why people are eating more junk and less good stuff. The good stuff is more expensive and people can't afford it! And just so you know these weren't huge apples. I have seen bigger. They weren't the smallest either, but they didn't have any little ones.
I am not a scientist and I don't have the ability to change this situation, but I do want to make others aware of it.
