Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (published in 1962) was mandatory reading for our ecology 101 class. Even though I’ve read that book a long time ago, the book has always left a big impact on me.
Rowan Jacobsen, an environmental writer living in Vermont wrote Fruitless Fall in 2008. He quotes Rachel Carson’s book about a fruitless fall where “there was no pollination and there would be no fruit.” Not a very nice prediction of the state of our planet.
Jacobsen investigates the reason why the bees have been disappearing. The book is well written and easy to follow. It’s more like having a good conversation with a friend over a cup of coffee. Every chapter takes you to another new trail to follow. From the blueberry farms in Maine to the blossoming almond trees in the San Joaquin Valley of California.
This is a real major concern for commercial beekeepers as they are losing more then 80% of their bees. While the reason behind the bee’s disappearance is still unknown, there has been many theories. From pesticides, mites to viruses. In the meantime, scientist have named this mystery as “Colony Collapse Disorder” or CCD. In France it’s called “mad bee disease.”
Jacobsen’s has a deep concern for the disappearance of the honey bees and offers some ways we can help. We can start by doing our little part by having some backyard hives to planting bee friendly flowers such as borage, calendula and geraniums.
Photo from da100fotos
Bees are very much a big part of our world and of our lives. Most of the watermelon and cucumber farmers depend on bees. And of course we all know honey is from bees. Honey also has many health benefits as well, but I think I will save that for another post.
I am glad I found this book and walk away appreciating bees much more then ever. Plus I’ve always had a soft spot for bees, as they are the ones that help make all these sweet fruits available to us. I say this book is highly recommend reading for 2009!
On a side note, watch out for honey from China! It has been tested to contain high levels of pesticides and antibiotics.
More information:
Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis by Rowan Jacobsen
Urban Bee Garden from Berkeley, California and good for those in the bay area.
What’s Killing the Honey Bees? Literary review with Jacobsen.
American Bee Journal (published 146 years now).
Image sources:
via Fickr.
Update: I didn’t realize there were so many more other books written about bees and their busy lives. Some of them are much more informative then Fruitless Fall. There are even some cute children’s book that describe the bees and their hives. Amazon’s List of Bee Books .
7:53 pm on May 6th, 2009
[...] due to the different varieties of flowers the bees visit. Actually I learned a lot from reading Fruitless Fall and have even more appreciation for these tiny little busy bees. And possibly eating more honey [...]