As someone who grew up with a nearly paralytic fear of bees and all stinging insects in general, I find myself oddly drawn to these insects here in the latter part of my life.
At least as long as my associations with them are on my own terms.
Over the last few years I've become quite interested in native bees, and in fact next weekend I am attending a workshop on native bee ID (a program I've been trying to get someone to lead here at work).
Yesterday I received a postcard in the mail from Icarus Films, a company that is currently promoting one of its newest flicks: The Strange Disappearance of the Bees, by Mark Daniels.
Here's a teaser clip from the documentary:
Then, while looking for more information about this movie, I came across THIS video clip about how it is bumble bees can fly (an on-going factoid among children and adults alike: bumblebees shouldn't be able to fly):
The more I learn about bees, the more fascinating they become. I wonder, if honey bee colonies continue to decline, will native pollinators be able to fill in the gaping chasm they leave behind?
Bees and bats...rapid declines. Causes coming to light. And just in case you are wondering about the bats, WNS has just been confirmed in Alabama - the 18th and most southerly state to have its bats fall victim to this ravaging fungus.
Dark days ahead.
Bats, bees, and frogs too. It's scary, huh?
ReplyDeleteIt certainly is, Patricia. We need to wake up and smell the coffee...catastrophic events are lurking on the horizon, and that horizon is getting awfully darn close.
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