A SPRING WITHOUT BEES:
HOW COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER HAS ENDANGERED OUR FOOD SUPPLY
By Michael Schacker
Publisher: The Lyons Press (June 3, 2008)
4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com
Sales Rank: #53,952 in Books
Original LinkFrom the Back Cover:
On the 100th anniversary of the birth of Rachel Carson, the world faces a new environmental disaster, from a chemical similar to DDT. This time the culprit appears to be IMD, or imidacloprid, a relatively new but widely used insecticide in the United States. Many beekeepers and some researchers think IMD is the new prime suspect for the devastating syndrome known as Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD, which has raised the annual die-off rate of honey bees to 30% of all the beehives in the United States. They say even trace amounts of IMD make bees lose their desire to feed, which would quickly lead to the collapse of their colony. After several days, there are few or no bees left in the hive. Since honey bees are essential to the production of fruit, nut, and vegetable crops around the world, their demise could spell catastrophe for our food supply and global economy.
In a riveting detective story that melds science and politics, Michael Schacker investigates the case of the missing bees, examining the many theories on the cause, including cell phones, mites, new pathogens, and bee management. He then examines the evidence against IMD. The book does much more than illuminate the scientific research, however. Using CCD as a metaphor for our own human hive, Schacker asks: Are the bees trying to tell us something? Could this be the warning sign of a much larger crisis looming directly ahead? Might humankind suffer someday from “Civilization Collapse Disorder”? And how must we change our human hive in order to ensure its survival?
Like An Inconvenient Truth and Silent Spring before it, A Spring without Bees is a compelling cautionary tale and a clarion call for action.
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Editorial Reviews:
“At last an authoritative account of the vanishing bees: one of the most puzzling environmental problems of recent times. . . . at once a great detective story and an object lesson of how to live in harmony with the living planet, our home.” -- Thomas E. Lovejoy, President, the Heinz Center for Science, Economics and Environment
"Who could imagine a spring without bees? One might say this is impossible, especially the kids. Michael Schacker's eye-opening story A Spring without Bees is a must-read for all of us who want to live in a sustainable and regenerating world for many generations to come." -- Anthony Rodale, Chairman Emeritus, The Rodale Institute
"The loss of the bees is a four-fold tragedy: for the beekeepers, the growers, the consumers and of course for the bees themselves. Michael Schacker's fascinating and enlightening book is an important new look at the great mystery of Colony Collapse Disorder." -- Dr. James Amrine, President of the Acarology Society of America, Medical Entomologist, West Virginia University
"In a debate clearly underpinned with political and commercial positioning and controversy over scientific fact and assumption, Michael Schacker’s multi-faceted review of the dispute to date, and its possible consequences, helps us clearly understand what is needed to reverse the bee decline threatening world food supply." -- Dr. Kurt Johnson, ecologist and ethicist; co-author of Nabokov’s Blues: The Scientific Odyssey of a Literary Genius
"A Spring Without Bees is an object lesson in just how delicate the web of life is. It sounds an urgent call to action on behalf of one of our economy's tiniest laborers but also asks that we re-think the environmental consequences of the entire way we do business." -- Jeff Ruch, Executive Director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER)
“Michael Schacker offers another important rationale for organic farming methods as a way to protect the fruit and vegetable supply.”-- Dr. Timothy J. LaSalle, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, The Rodale Institute
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NOT PERFECT, BUT A GREAT RESOURCE
By Kael Loftus
July 11, 2008
Schacker's book is an excellent resource for the well-educated person who wants a broad and detailed review of Colony Collapse Disorder. It is not, however, the final word on the cause: Schacker takes one theory -- that CCD is caused by the pesticide imidacloprid (IMD) -- and, while making a convincing case, fails to account for some reported CCD die-offs that are *not* consistent with the pesticide theory. The work also wanders into topics that are arguably not related to CCD, as mentioned in other reviews. That said, the book is timely and well-researched, and presents an array of suggested responses to CCD that regular people can implement, from planting bee-friendly gardens, to keeping bees, to challenging government inaction/incompetence.
I bought this book as a new hardback because I feel the need to be as well educated as possible about CCD. I am one of the organizers of the 2008 San Francisco Bee-In on September 21st at the Randall Museum, which will serve both as a fundraiser for the documentary-in-progress The Vanishing of the Bees <http://www.vanishingbees.com/> as well as a public education event.
Schacker reviews some of the CCD theories that have made cameos in the news media over the last two years, including a thorough and amusing dismissal of the "cell phones are killing the bees!" story. After rejecting many theories, he presents the story of CCD in France (a story we've heard relatively little about in the U.S.) and explains why French beekeepers came to suspect the pesticide IMD. It's a compelling narrative, and there is data in the U.S. that supports it. However, one of our country's top bee researchers, Dr. Eric Mussen of UC Davis, recently recounted in his newsletter (repeated by apiarist Kim Flottum in his "Catch the Buzz" newsletter... that the pattern of CCD's spread looks more like a disease than pesticide misuse.
My point is, it's too early in the crisis to settle on one hypothesis. In the meantime, yes: let's invoke the "Precautionary Principle" and suspend IMD use. And yes, let's include the French research; to not do so would be anti-scientific and arguably criminal. But let's continue to do the science. More research is required, and the public can help by supporting funding for a broad research effort on CCD, both through private donation and pressure on government funding sources. (Funding earmarked for CCD by the USDA in early 2007 is only becoming available this August, almost a year and a half later; the severity of the crisis demands more timely and responsive leadership -- anything less is incompetence.)
I don't agree with everything Schacker argues in this book, but I do relate to the sentiments he expresses in Chapter Nine, "Civilization Collapse Disorder" (which includes the sub-chapter heading "The Public Has To Wake Up"). I am glad to see this book on the shelves: it's a thought-provoking and helpful -- if not quite perfect -- resource.
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IMPORTANT RESOURCES:
BURT'S BEES RESOURCE PAGE:
http://tinyurl.com/32y7m6
NORTH AMERICAN POLLINATOR PROTECTION CAMPAIGN:
http://www.nappc.org/
THE WAY BACK TO BIOLOGICAL BEEKEEPING (DEE LUSBY):
http://www.beesource.com/pov/lusby/index.htm
BUSH BEES WEBSITE (ORGANIC BEE WEBSITE):
http://bushfarms.com/bees.htm
YAHOO ORGANIC BEEKEEPERS DISCUSSION LIST:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Organicbeekeepers/
WIKIPEDIA ON COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorder
VERY INFORMATIVE OVERVIEW OF 'COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER' (5/4/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/12932
MAAREC COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER WEBSITE:
http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/ColonyCollapseDisorderInfo.html
MAP OF U.S. STATES REPORTING COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER (pdf):
http://beealert.blackfoot.net/~beealert/USshaded.pdf
GENERAL BEE ARTICLES & REPORTS:
http://www.beesource.com/news/index.htm
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES STUDY ON POLLINATORS:
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id11761
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PREVIOUS NHNE NEWS LIST ARTICLES:
UK HONEYBEE DEATHS REACHING CRISIS POINT (8/17/2008):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/14773
LAST FLIGHT OF THE HONEYBEE? (6/7/2008):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/14570
VANISHING OF THE BEES (5/9/2008):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/14475
SURVEY: U.S. HONEY BEE DEATHS INCREASED OVER LAST YEAR (5/6/2008):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/14468
WHY FLOWERS HAVE LOST THEIR SCENT (4/20/2008):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/14416
CONSORTIUM TO STUDY HONEY BEE 'COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER' (4/16/2008):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/14404
DISAPPEARING BEES THREATEN ICE CREAM SELLERS (2/19/2008):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/14209
BURT'S BEES DEFENDS THE HIVE (11/6/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/13732
VIRUS IMPLICATED IN COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER IN BEES (9/7/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/13427
POSSIBLE COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER BREAKTHROUGH (9/2/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/13407
SENATOR BOXER ON COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER (7/18/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/13236
USDA ANNOUNCES COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER ACTION PLAN (7/13/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/13215
HONEYBEE DIE-OFF NOW REPORTED IN 35 STATES (6/12/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/13100
WHO KILLED THE HONEYBEES? (5/30/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/13034
VERY INFORMATIVE OVERVIEW OF 'COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER' (5/4/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/12932
HONEYBEE DIE-OFF THREATENS FOOD SUPPLY (5/3/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/12930
HONEYBEE COLLAPSE MYTHS (5/2/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/12924
BEES VANISH, & SCIENTISTS RACE FOR REASONS (4/25/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/12895
ORGANIC & KILLER BEES SEEM RESISTANT TO 'COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER'
(4/24/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/12889
HONEY BEE DIE-OFF ALARMS BEEKEEPERS, CROP GROWERS & RESEARCHERS (4/24/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/12888
HONEY BEE EXPERTS GATHER TO POOL KNOWLEDGE (4/22/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/12880
HONEY BEE DIE-OFF RESOURCES (4/17/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/12857
ARE MOBILE PHONES WIPING OUT OUR BEES? (4/15/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/12851
BEE COLONIES ACROSS U.S. CONTINUE TO DIE (4/7/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/12825
ARE GM CROPS KILLING BEES? (3/23/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/12754
HONEYBEES VANISH, LEAVING KEEPERS IN PERIL (2/27/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/12647
U.S. BEE COLONIES DECIMATED BY MYSTERIOUS AILMENT (2/14/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/12588
PARASITE DEVASTATES U.S. BEES (5/2/2005):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/9104
MAD BEE DISEASE (2/20/2001):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/1181
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