Honey, but no one's home.

I saw a bee on Sunday, Earth Day, and I took a picture. It wasn't easy, because the camera doesn't like to focus on something moving so fast.

Why would I take a picture?, you might ask.

Bees are a fast-disappearing insect, and scientists don't know why. This has been in the news on and off since last fall, and I always like a good mystery, so I've followed the story. what has surprised me, though, is how long and far the problem has gone on. I would have expected, by now, for some smart bee expert to have figured out the reason for all the abandoned hives, and fixed the problem. As it is, the bees are continuing to disappear, the problem is spreading, and a solution hasn't been found. The New York Times has a story on it today. According to the report, Indiana and Illinois are safe so far... but for how long? Even beekeepers in Europe are experiencing "colony collapse disorder".

So, why do we care? This seems to be a victory for all those very allergic to bee stings, as well as anyone who has stepped on the insect barefoot. Actually, this is a serious concern. Apparently, for many crops, bees are the primary source of pollination. No pollination, no fruit. Not to mention, no bees, no honey. We need the bees.

Wouldn't it be funny if we had to describe to our children what a bee was? And they will think that it was quaint that we relied on such a small creature for such a large task of pollinating our food supply.