Albert Einstein is supposed to have said: “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live. No more bees, no more pollination … no more men!”
He wasn’t an entomologist, but entomologists around today agree that the sudden and mysterious disappearance of bees from their hives poses serious problems.
The current bee disappearance (colony collapse disorder) has reduced the bee population in the UK and Ireland by over 30%, with a potentially huge knock on effect on pollination and the food chain. 35% of our diet is directly dependent on this and the value to the UK economy is claimed to be in the region of £1 billion a year.
Mites and changes in bio-diversity are likely contributory causes, and there is also a theory that cell phone radiation seriously interferes with bees’ ability to navigate through the air, accounting for the breakdown of colonies. Whatever the cause, the implications of this phenomenon are enormous. Bee-keeping has suddenly become crucial to the biodiversity and food security of this island.l
The annual Ulster Beekeepers’ Association Harvest Thanksgiving Service (the only such service held in the UK and Ireland) will be held at 6pm in Randalstown (Old church) Presbyterian on Sunday October 17th.
~ Helen and Alan Shiel