Super Eco

Photo credit: jude, flickr

Millions of bees the world over are beating their tiny wings in celebration: scientists have isolated and successfully treated a parasite fungal disease (thanks @honeycoop) that was contributing to honeybee colony collapse disorder. Seen The Bee Movie? Then you know what happens to the world when bees are out of work (or dead, but bear with the analogy here): it goes haywire. Without bees to pollinate crops, fruits and vegetables, and wildflowers, agriculture as we know it would be severely threatened. Food would be hard to grow and even non-agricultural ecosystems would be affected adversely. In short, we need bees for our own survival.

Which makes this breakthrough so promising. While so far just the one parasite, Nosema ceranae (Microsporidia), has been isolated, it can be tracked down and treated among the various bee populations which have been on the decrease over North America and Europe. And it may assist scientists in understanding bee colonies better. So while it may not yet be THE answer to saving the world's bees, it's potentially ONE answer.

What can you do? Besides supporting your local bees by planting things bees like and supporting local beekeepers by buying local honey (with added delicious and healthful  side benefits), consider becoming something of a backyard beekeeper yourself.

You may just be saving the world, or at least one small piece of it.