Canary in the Beehive

Are honeybees becoming an environmental version of the proverbial "canary in the coal mine?

A major crisis is affecting honeybees. Bee hives all across the country are being deserted with only the queen and "brood" of bee larvae remain inside until they die also. The phenomena has been named "Colony Collapse Disorder". Some die-off has been around for years but never to the magnitude that is being seen right now.

Why is the loss of bees important? They provide pollination of $14 billion dollars of U.S. agriculture annually which accounts for one out of every three bites of food.

Research labs in colleges and the USDA are working hard to find the cause. A number of theories are being investigated including: parasites, mites, viruses and pesticides.

Bees are a profound reminder of the importance of all of God's creatures. We are enormously dependent on even the smallest elements in the web of life that sustains us.

Einstein predicted that if bees were to die, humans would starve within four years. That's a sobering thought.