By John Sutter
Today’s front page story is on a bee farmer from southwest Oklahoma who recently was chosen to be featured on a cable TV program called “Trick My Truck.”
Gary Grose used the opportunity to talk about the “peril” of honeybees in America. He says the bees’ habitats have been destroyed to a point that beekeepers like him have to drive their bee hives all around the country so the bees can pollinate crops. That used to just happen naturally, but a host of threats to the bees — everything from pesticides to mites to cellphone towers — make wild living and pollination almost impossible, he said.
The issue has gotten some attention lately from media outlets. A mysterious syndrome called Colony Collapse Disorder is thought to be to blame for mass disappearances of honeybees. Ice cream sellers are taking notice of the issue, also. Haagen-Dasz says 40 percent of its flavors come from honey, and so it’s launched this game-based Web site and an ad to encourage people to learn more about the bees. The ad is supposedly a page of a magazine that you can rip out and then plant in the ground. It’s laced with seeds that are supposed to grow plants that are hospitable to bees.
What do you think? Is this a bunch of hype about protecting bees? Should we do more? Has anyone besides me been stung by a honeybee on the tip of their toe lately? Please comment. ( I won’t beg … but it’s getting close.)
