By
Cal Orey, M.A.
The good news: September is
the time to celebrate National Honey Month. But the sobering fact is honey
bee colony losses are soaring at an alarming rate. So, exactly why in the world are bees disappearing in high
numbers, anyhow?
.jpg)
Q&A
with the Informed Bee Culture Magazine Editor
Colony collapse disorder
(CCD), honey bee health, the future of our honey bees and food chain. These
shocking concerns worry beekeepers, scientists, honey producers—and may spook
you, too. Jerry Hanes, the current editor of the magazine, who is a
backyard beekeeper, former scientist, and teacher dishes on why he believes the
hardworking honey bees are dying. He is the go-to guy to
tell it as it is for the present and future of our bees as they face a mass
die-off around the globe.
Here, he sat down for a
Q&A, where he shares insights on how honey bees are important to humanity
but also reduces your risk of chronic diseases by pollinating our nutritious
foods to help you continue to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. He dishes on
the real scoop about honey bees and how they, like the planet, are facing
dangerous times and why.
Q: So, is Colony Collapse Disorder
(CCD) worse today than back in 2010 when I wrote the first edition of The
Healing Powers of Honey? One radio show host said to me on air it was
pesticides. Sure, I agreed but I argued it’s much, much more to it!
A: Honey
bee health is a continuing struggle to keep this insect strong, adaptable and
alive. One of the main challenges is the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor.
Make a fist, which is a Varroa mite. Now you are a honey bee so place that fist
(Varroa) on your honey bee body somewhere. It is a huge parasite feeding on
various life stages of the developing and adult honey bee, destroying tissue,
feeding on honey bee fat bodies, vectoring viruses, causing immune suppression,
and simply making them weak and sick. Now how do you kill, hurt, damage a bug
(Varroa) on a bug (honey bee)?
Q: Is climate change making it difficult for our honey bee as it is for humans?
A: We
have climate change and not only temperature [fluctuations] but when and if
flowers bloom, suburban houses and gardens and landscapes use about 80 million
pounds of chemicals a year, then urban areas. Then production agricultural uses
to produce a crop to feed us…
Q: What about poor air quality and
global warming aka climate change? It definitely affects humans, wildlife,
pets, and our ecosystem. So, honey bees must face the problem, too, right?
A: Air
quality coupled with climate change and wildfires, smoke, heat, humidity, lack
of rain, too much rain, and urban/suburban air pollution is going to
be an increasing struggle for all life forms on this small planet. Kind of like
geologic records of fluctuations in heat and tropical conditions with dinosaurs
and then to the last Ice Age. and Woolly Mammoths.
For
now, yes, air pollution impacts these small creatures we call honey bees and
their cousins' solitary bees and bumble bees. Honey bees search for blooming
pollinators dependent on plants based on sight and smell. Change these forage
paradigms and the health of honey bees in particular declines. What we have
seen is that flowering plants growth, bloom times, nectar availability are
changing.
Q:
Since honey bees are responsible for about one third of pollination for our
nuts and fruits and not to forget other food sources like beef and dairy, our
food chain is in danger, isn’t it?
A: If
expected 'food' availability changes, it becomes less, harder to access or
disappears entirely then what happens with honey bees’ relationship with
flowering plants? If you and I go to the grocery store and half the produce
section is empty along with canned goods, meat and dairy products what would we
do?
Q:
The Happening film includes a fictional quotation from Einstein noting
if the honey bees die off in four years mankind will be extinct. Nobody can
find proof that Einstein predicted this scenario, but it rings possible. What do you say?
A: Honey
Bees will probably not vanish in our lifetime but as the world's population
today goes from seven billion to 10-11-12 billion the food supply chain will be
modified. For most of this population if in fact agricultural land is still
available and doesn't have housing developments on it, we will transition to a
wind pollinated diet of corn, rice, wheat, oats, barley similar to our
ancestor's diet. For those with money and power they will have access to
fruits, nuts and vegetables grown in huge greenhouses.
So, as
we experience the loss of hives and honey, are AWOL honeybees a mere act of
nature or is climate change a reality that is affecting our world as we know
it?
[Adapted excerpt from The Healing Powers of Honey, Revised & Updated (Kensington Publishing, August 2026]
