Straight Dope has a great look at the reality of the problem of Colony Collapse Disorder. It calls into question just exactly how much of a problem it really is.

No, it doesn’t deny that there has been an unusual number of die offs, but it does question how severe and how unusual the problem is. They note that the same phenomenon has been recorded since the 1890s, only under a different name.

Obviously, European honey bees are still around.

It is also a very good point that European honey bees are the one species having a problem and they account for 30% of world agricultural pollination. There are 2000 other pollinating species out there.

Of course, one cannot help but think that 30% is a huge number. But if this is merely a periodic problem, it is perhaps less urgent. Something to watch, pesticides to maybe reconsider if they are contributing to the current problem, but not quite so urgent.

In reading about colony collapse disorder, one thing that really struck me was the sheer occasional ignorance. On one forum I saw someone wonder what the big deal was… after all, the only thing we get from bees is honey, right??? Other people quickly set him straight, but still, that they had such a complete lack of understanding is amazing.

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