Pesticides Vexing Euro Queen Bee Populations

Sumerian depiction of bee goddess

A news article about pesticides and bees seems to explore an obscure topic, of interest only to hobbyists and scholars. Yes, such a story impacts us all. Bees are principal pollination agents in many areas of the world. The collapse of bee colonies where I live, in New Jersey, led to agricultural agita that demonstrated the importance of these essential creatures.

Thus, I read with interest today's story in online editions of the BBC which discussed scientific findings about diminished bee populations. The BBC piece cited a pair of scientific studies -- one British, one French -- that suggested pesticides were harming queen bees. The damage to bee populations is another sign that our environment remains dangerously fragile, and indifference to its fate will come back to haunt all of us.