Bzzzz Bzzzzzz

Not too many things truly scare me. Heights and bugs are pretty much the top of the scary tree for me. With bugs it's more of an ick factor then being truly scare, with ticks being the top of the ARGH! tree. Now there is a new scare factor for me where bugs are concerned. I tend to ignore most weired stories unless I see them multiple times over an extended period of time. This one now has me scared.

Gourmet magazine this month has two articles on the catastrophic problems going on in bee colonies. (http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2008/08/colonycollapsedisorder) This is by far not the first time I've read about this issue. It seems that for the last two years bee colonies (hives) have been dying off at alarming rates. The disease is referred to as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Bee hive owners have been going to their hives only to find that the entire colony is dead or gone. An analysis of the hives after the bees have gone shows an astonishing array of diseases had infected the hive. Researchers have cautioned hive owners that the bee hive apparatus should not be used again and any of the equipment should be burned to stop the spread of disease.

It's important to note that the commercial agriculture industry relies exclusively on commercial bee keepers to pollinate their crops each year. According to the article, we were already in a position where there were not enough hives to pollinate all of the crop requirements, but now we are getting in worse trouble as each growing season passes. Gourmet reports that organic farmers in northern California have started planting land surrounding their fields with grasses and other plant life that will attract natural insect life in the hopes that insects other than bees will pollinate their crops. This is just another data point on the delicate balance between man and nature. How do we know that CCD isn't caused by global warming or pollution or other issues caused by the constant encroachment of man and the imbalanced way we effect everything around us. If bees were to suddenly disappear over several growing seasons, would our ability to grow food to feed the world be effected?

On a separate but related subject, I had the season's first fresh corn last night. The ears were big and the kernels on each cob were similarly large. The end result was a corn that was tender but not as sweet as in past seasons. Our spring and summer has been unusually wet, with an accompanying reduction in sunshine. My tomatoes are not growing as quickly and they are ripening later in the season. Again, another data point on the delicate balance between man and his environment.

For today, here's to bugs. They may scare me but it would scare me more if they weren't around. I have a new appreciation for what they do for our environment.