Bees in trouble!

"What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the children of the earth." Chief Seattle

 The bees perform such an intrinsically important role in the balance of nature, that what happens to them is an indicator of what will soon after happen to the rest of the natural world, which in turn directly affects us all.                                  

Humanity is still totally dependant on the natural world for all our requirements, no matter how detached some us of us may feel, experiencing fabricated living in our artificial city-scapes.

 Foods, raw materials, minerals, the ongoing need for clean water... all these and more are sourced from the natural world. And the bees, meekly pollinating the flora which in turn supports the fauna, are foundational in its continuance.

 And that continuance is now under threat.

Bees are inexplicably dying, in large quantities, across the globe. Entire colonies disappear, and those bees that are left are suffering from a range of ailments that scientists are barely able to keep up with.

These recent images show bees that have mysteriously died, en route to their hive, falling to the ground in large numbers near the entrances. Worker bees and drones are all affected.

In the hive, monitor-bees welcome fewer and fewer workers, returning with less provisions for the colony. When resources get too low, the colony falls apart.

The bees pictured below have died from a form of Acute Paralysis Virus, which is brought on through the after-effects of exposure to the Varroa mite. What is disturbing is that these bees have already been given treatment to combat the Varroa mites in their hive, so there is additional infection somehow affecting these bees...