Bees Vanishing
Famines Coming?
Q. What do you think about the disappearing bees? Is there a religious meaning to it?
Answer:
Thank you for asking – sometimes I just feel like weeping over man’s disregard for God’s creative genius, and for man’s utter ungratefulness concerning God’s provisions for mankind.
Let’s take a quick look at what bees do for us:
1/3 of our Food Supply
Approximately one-third of our diet comes from plants pollinated by insects. Honey bees take care of 80% of this pollination. Bees alone pollinate around 130 fruit, vegetable, nut, ornamental, and fiber crops in the U.S.
Fruits & Veggies
The fruits and vegetables that honeybees help to pollinate include apples, avocados, asparagus, blueberries, broccoli, cantaloupe, cranberries, cucumbers, celery, cherries, citrus fruits, kiwi fruit, peaches, soybeans, strawberries, various melons, various squashes, and so forth. Even cattle rely on bees for their alfalfa feed!
Bread & Water
The USDA’s bee and pollination director warns that we could end up eating nothing but grains and water if this disappearance of bees continues.
There are more than 300 kinds of honey in the U.S. This is because of the various floral sources which include clover, eucalyptus, to orange blossoms. Millions of dollars are made through the sale of honey, wax, pollen, royal jelly, and venom, too.
Hexagonal-Design Comb
Honey bees produce a wax comb whose hexagonal design is so advanced that it has been copied in constructing the wings of some of our aircraft! Even though the comb is only two thousandths of an inch thick, it can bear at least 25 times its own weight.
Flight of the Bumblebee
Made famous by the orchestral piece called the Flight of the Bumblebee, a bee’s small wings shouldn’t be able to lift up its heavy body. Scientists have discovered that bees warm up their muscles by shivering its thorax muscles. If a bumblebee’s load is heavy then it builds and makes more strength by shivering and warming itself. Bumblebees do this almost 200 times per second as they fly!
Bee Characteristics
Bees have five eyes and fly at about 20 mph. They have two pairs of wings and six legs. The male bees are called “drones” and the female bees are called “worker bees” except for the queen. Bees carry pollen on their hind legs and the foragers must collect nectar from around 2 million flowers to make just one pound of honey. One average forager bee makes about one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.
The average per-capita consumption of honey in the United States is 1.3 pounds annually. And the form of communication among bees is through chemicals called “pheromones.” (Texas A&M Univ.).
Einstein’s Quote
Einstein reportedly made this statement (although it is not certain):
“If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.”
Jesus Forewarned of Great Famines
Jesus tells us that during the Great Tribulation there will be wars, earthquakes, plagues and famines (Matt. 21:22). Is it possible we are in the beginning stages of that period? Is it possible that bees disappearing is one factor leading to terrible worldwide famine?
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)
The first official reports of Colony Collapse Disorder came from commercial beekeepers in November of 2006. At first they thought that this scourge was limited to the migrants. Later it was discovered that CCD is a terribly serious problem facing all beekeepers.
Mystery Illness
The affected populations change from being strong to being a colony with few or no surviving bees. The Queens are found with a few adult bees, lots of brood and adequate food sources. There are no dead bees inside or outside in close proximity to the colonies. And there is a delay in other bees who would normally rob the dead colony. This suggests the presence of a chemical or toxin in the hives.
Pathodgens? AIDS?
The remaining bees are infected with all kinds of pathogens including fungi, which cause some scientists to believe that they are immunosuppressed. This looks like a form of AIDS in bees!
Huge Numbers Disappear
American beekeepers have lost at least one-quarter of their bee colonies because of something they call “CCD” or Colony Collapse Disorder. Some have lost up to 95% of their bees. Commercial beekeepers in 22 states have reported the loss of tens of thousands. “An apiarist at Mississippi State University reported that one beekeeper he knew lost nearly 1,000 of his 1,200 colonies. A beekeeper in Missouri reported the loss of 596 of his 700 colonies” (Health News Digest).
Congressional Hearings
Scientists do not know yet why this is happening. It isn’t just specific to the United States but has been observed in Canada and parts of Europe such as Spain, Italy, Poland, Greece, Portugal, France, and in Brazil, too. This problem has been brought before Congress and former Vice-President Dick Cheney. A study notes that bees contribute about $15 billion a year in value to the food supply. It isn’t a minor problem.
Part of the mystery is that the bees are not found dead near the hives. They have just disappeared. Beekeeper Louise Rossberg notes, “There’s nothing there. There are no bees on the ground anywhere. There’s just a completely empty hive” (CBS news).
Theories
Several causes have been named including chemical contamination, unknown pathogens, parasites, a new virus, and even cell phone towers. Others think that electro-magnetic disturbances are causing bees to lose their navigation abilities. In other words, the bees fly off to pollinate but can’t find their way home.
What men fail to appreciate is that “without bees to pollinate crops, the United States could lose as much as 30 percent of its food supply. According to Zac Browning, vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation, ‘Every third bite we consume in our diet is dependent on a honeybee to pollinate that food.'” (Omega-News).
Dr. George Carlo, M.D., author of “Cell Phones: Invisible Hazards in the Wireless Age,” and current chairman of the Science and Public Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. says this:
“When canaries die or bees disappear, we are being cautioned that we, too, are in immediate danger. It is time to listen to the message nature is telling us” (omega.twoday.net/stories/354166/).
Grateful to God
Finally, almost everyone is astounded at the intricacies of bees and beehives and the work they do to assist in food production. Maybe it’s time we praise God for His creative genius and thank Him for the food on our tables.
Full of Praise for His Mighty Works
We suggest that all Christians pray to and thank God with the following Psalm:
“The Lord’s works are great, studied by all who delight in them. All that He does is splendid and majestic. His righteousness endures forever. He has caused His wonderful works to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and compassionate. He has provided food for those who fear Him” (Psalm 111: 1-5, HCSB).
Promised Land Overflowing with Milk & Honey
Could this be why God always presented the Promised Land as a place “overflowing with milk and honey?”
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References:
MSNBC.com. 2007. Learn more about honeybees. Available from: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17953135/print/1/displaymode/1098/ [accessed 2007].
Missler, Chuck. 2007. Update news commentary. Psalms, chapters 120-134. 05/14/2007. Coeur d’Alene, ID: Koinonia House.
CBS News. 2007. The Case of the Vanishing Bees. Available from: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/13/eveningnews/printable2471672.shtml. [accessed 13 February 2007].
Health News Digest. 2007. The Sting of Disappearing Bees. Available from: http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Environment_380/The_Sting_of_Disappearing_B…
When Bees Disappear, Will Man Soon Follow? Available from: http://omega.twoday.net/stories/3545166/