Where Have All the Bees Gone?

Over the past few weeks my beautiful green and growing zucchinis have thrived and produced like gangbusters. Last week, however, I began to see my zucchinis turning yellow at the ends and eventually dying. I have watered my plants in the same pattern and an organic feeding schedule has been maintained. There has been no disruption that I could see…

I spoke to my younger sister who is a wonderful gardener. This chica has everything in her garden from corn to lavender, you name it. So I IMed her and asked her what was up with my zucchini. Her response is that they are not getting pollinated by bees. All I need to do it take a small paintbrush and transfer pollen from one zucchini blossom to another and pollinate in place of the bees. I started doing this yesterday so we will see what happens. I would have never in a million years have to come to the conclusion that bees were not coming to pollinate….

Then I begin to seethe bigger picture. A few months ago I read a few intriguing articles, about the rapid and distinct decline in the honeybee population throughout the world.

It has been reported that over 90% of honeybees in the U.S. population have all but disappeared and close to 75% in other parts of the planet have disappeared and/or have died as well. There are many theories buzzing around (hah!) such as cell phone radiation or global warming is causing this significant decline in the bee population. I personally agree with the theory that it has to do with the bee’s immune system being compromised somehow (pesticides?). Whatever the cause, the effect of bees not pollinating could be devastating to farmers who grow nuts, fruits, etcetera. They depend solely on bees to pollinate their crops. This is enough of a problem that the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture has held meetings discussing this issue.

We could be giving our future generations the lack of never experiencing the crunch of an almond or the sweet taste of a strawberry. The United States could stand to lose billions of dollars in agriculture and become completely dependent on foreign countries. I went off on a tangent there, but it is disconcerting to see the ripple effect that will be caused if we permanently lose our honeybee population.

I will keep update on the condition of my zucchini and see if the surrogate pollinating makes a difference in my garden. Cross your fingers!!