A Spring Without Bees: How Colony Collapse Disorder Has Endangered Our Food Supply

I gave this book a 5 star review, because it accomplished giving a very good overview to the everyday person about the possible devastation caused by CCD. I have never raised bees and therefore, wouldn't have gotten nearly as much out of this book without the background information. He is thorough and it doesn't matter that he doesn't give the cause of CCD at the end. The point of this book is to alert the public to the fact that we don't HAVE a proven cause, but we have a few possible very strong contributors to CCD (varroa mites, IMD, pesticides, illness). These obviously need a great amount of funding for research, so that we may find the cause and create a solution in time to save bees and agriculture as we know it. This won't happen without people creating awareness, expressing their concern to their respective senate/house representatives, and working towards these goals in their own communities. We can't predict how devastating CCD will or won't be, but it's potential to cause great damage should be enough reason alone to gain public support for following the precautionary principle (banning IMD, encouraging IPM & organic farming), while CCD is still being researched. I don't think spraying neurotoxic chemicals on our food is a good idea to begin with anyways, regardless of its affect on bees. I like how these concerns about pesticides are be tied in with public health, as well. People often think about what levels of pesticides are safe for adults, children, and babies. The potential hazards to the unborn, tend to be less emphasized, even though they are the most vulnerable of all (and the future of our human race). I was delighted to see this connection made between the health of humans and the health of the environment in the book (even if it wasn't the main point of the book). No, bees aren't proven to be the "canary in the coal mine", but it should behoove us to consider how bioaccumulation of these same chemicals could affect us and our offspring, after watching how it may be causing devastating affects in other living organisms and particularly since not all of these chemicals undergo sufficient testing.

Ending Colony Collapse Disorder Following in the footsteps of Rachel Carson, Michael Schacker again sounds the alarm that the normal functioning of the natural world is still being disrupted by man-made substances. In A SPRING WITHOUT BEES: HOW COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER HAS ENDANGERED OUR FOOD SUPPLY, he carefully investigates the plight of the European honeybees, many of which have died or been unable to find their way back to their hives. In the process of solving this disturbing mystery, Schacker examines the numerous theories that have been proposed as causes of CCD and reveals a new one--which is most probable, partly because it is supported by what has been known for decades about how products used to control harmful insects can also destroy helpful ones. Schacker presents convincing arguments, including the experience of French beekeepers which point in the direction of neurotoxins that have changed certain pesticide formulas in the past five years. These poisons build up with repeated applications and remain in the soil for years. When the honeybee collects the flower nectar, it can "intoxicate" the bees to the point where they can no longer find their way home, causing the mysterious disappearance of whole hives. Partial exposure or eating poisoned winter stores of honey can weaken or kill the bees as well. The pervasive use of these pesticides, not just for agriculture but for lawns, golf courses, and parks makes it impossible for the honeybee to avid contamination. He further explains that human exposure to these pesticides is also a health risk, especially for children who play on these contaminated lawns. But Schacker also offers hope for the honeybee, for humankind, and for the planet if we begin to act quickly. He presents strong arguments for avoiding the mechanistic approach of attempting to engineer nature for our own purposes, since that usually backfires into worse problems than what we intended to prevent. Instead, he advocates and describes numerous organic methods which everyone, including farmers, homeowners, golf course managers, and beekeepers, etc. can use to restore the natural balance to the planet and save the honeybee. This book is a call to action, backed up by extensive scientific data that needs to be heard by everyone one who cares about the future. This is a must-read that definitely deserves five stars!

Michael Shacker's book is a wake-up call to the world. It is by far the best told, best researched and most passionate of the published accounts about Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), laying out in vivid detail CCD's devastating, life-threatening effects on bees and on the human food supply. Bees are indispensible to the natural reproduction (pollenizing) of crucial plants we all rely on for food. One reviewer here asserts this book contains woo-woo science (it doesn't; everything is documented). The same reviewer then suggests we might genetically engineer bees that can tolerate the neuro-toxin that France and Germany have banned. Excuse me? That's worse than woo woo. It's irresponsible. Genetically engineer bees to withstand neurotoxin so chemical companies can continue to put it in the ecosystemime ? This reviewer clearly does not get it. Five more years of tests and proofs before suspending the use of the suspect substance and there will be no hive populations left to resuscitate. European bans on the neurotoxins in question are based on simple tests that vested lobbies in the US have managed to avoid so far. Would anyone suggest we engineer songbirds to withstand DDT and bring DDT back into mainstream farming? How about breeding people to tolerate eating sewage and sate their hunger at land fills? An equally nutty idea. Schacker has clearly done his research and answers each speculation as to cause with the facts on the ground. By citing conclusions reached by scientists in Europe, Schacker issues a call to the United States to look seriously at these causes and perform the same tests. If you're looking to inform yourself thoroughly on this agricultural disaster in the making, you're first stop, and your best, is here, at "A Spring Without Bees." People can also help spread the word about CCD at Schacker's website: http://www.planbeecentral.com

Really riveting, easy to understand account of the mystery of the disappearing bees. The book begins with a fascinating description of the sophisticated bee behavior and hive society. It reminded me of the first time I became educated on ant colonies, marvelling at their intricate, organized societies. The details are right down to the varying roles of each bee (nurse bees, cleaning squads, honey-processors, foragers, drones, etc.). The book logically takes the reader through every theory on CCD (Colony collapse disorder) proposed thus far, along with scientfic references and statistics on all documented research. It challenges the association between university research and the corporations that finance that research, questions the FDA rules on chemical pesticide approvals, offers suggestions for how each individual can assist in solving CCD, and repeatedly gives kudos to Rachel Carson's 1962 revelations in her ground-breaking book. This is an easy read, very appealing, contemporary, up-to-date account of this controversial, potentially civilization-devasting issue. Especially relevant given today's global economic woes in terms of oil, crop production, and world hunger.

If all the honey bees disappear what will you eat? I know what you won't eat. You won't eat fruits, vegetables, or nuts because they must be pollinated before they will produce fruit. Bee keepers have always had problems with their bees being afflicted with parasites and disease, but in 1994 the bee keepers in France met a new problem. Except for the Queen and her helpers all the bees in a hive disappeared. In the past when something killed their bees they found the bodies just outside the hive, but in this case there were no bodies to examine. After deciding that the usual problems could not have caused what is now called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) they discovered that a new insecticide was being used on the sunflowers from which their bees were collecting nectar. The insecticide's active ingredient was Imidacloprid (IMD) which is a neurotoxin that is produced by Bayer. It is closely related to DDT which was the subject of Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring. Despite extensive scientific research the government officials who were supposed to help the farmers were helping Bayer instead. Finally, after many battles including extensive scientific research and marching in the streets of Paris the farmers won and their bees started coming back in 2005. Colony Collapse Disorder is a big problem in the United States, but the bee keepers have an added problem. The government is not interested in doing research. In fact, it would appear that they are not even interested in looking at the extensive research that was done in France. Schacker writes in an easy-to-read style and has done a great deal of research so you have a clear picture of the problem. In the second half of the book he writes about various possible solutions to the problem including what the person on the street (or in the garden) can do. He also includes appendices with even more information. You can go to PlanBeeCentral.com which has been set up by Schacker to get a taste of what is in the book plus ways to get involved.