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A World Without Bees by Allison Benjamin, Brian McCallum
An investigation into the strange case of the vanishing How we can save these tiny creatures who are so vital to our survival? “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years of life left.”—Albert Einstein From Los Angeles to London, from Slovenia to Taiwan, honeybees are dying. In America alone, one in three hives was left lifeless at the end of 2008; in France, the death rate is closer to 60%. What is behind the catastrophe? Writers and beekeepers Benjamin and McCallum have traveled across Europe and North America investigating the plight of the honeybee, which is disappearing across the globe at an alarming rate. From commercial almond farmers in California to local honey cultivators in the English countryside, all suffer from lonely hives that are filled with baby bees where all the adults have disappeared. The loss of our black-and-yellow pollinators would mean the end of agriculture as we know it, threatening our civilization and our way of life, as a third of what we eat and much of what we wear is directly dependent on bees. Addressing different causes for this growing catastrophe, including viruses, parasites, pesticides, climate change, and the demands of commercial beekeeping, A World Without Bees will both enthrall readers and spur them to action. 12 color illustrations.
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First published June 1, 2008
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August 18, 2012
“A world without bees” is a flawed book that attempts to bring to the fore a serious problem that has arisen in the last 5 years, honeybee colonies have been succumbing to a bizarre killer called “Colony Collapse Disorder”. That is, beekeepers waking up one morning to find their colonies practically, or completely, empty. The book writers list a variety of problems, discussing known diseases and how long we have known about this problem. Several doomsday scenarios are presented to us including a problem in southern China were the locals must pollinate pear trees by hand since pesticides had wiped out their local bee populations. They also list the sheer volume of staple crops that depend on bee pollination and how life will be se much harder without them. In that respect, the book is interesting.
However I am always concerned when books about scientific issues are written by journalists and this is no exception. The writers don’t seem to have a critical eye and Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring” is considered just as authoritative as any article in PNAS by qualfiied entomologists! They also contradict themselves in implying that the honeybees are on the verge of extinction. They are not and the steps being taken by governments, including the EU, to tackle this problem are relegated to the last five pages of the final chapter which in some ways makes a lot of the book redundant. There are also species (such as the temperamental African honeybee and the cross-bred Africanised honeybee currently spreading across the US) and many more species that do not seem susceptible to CCD.
They also let their prejudices guide their opinions on what is causing this. They rail against GM despite having no evidence to support it, point a finger at all pesticides despite that those shown to be dangerous to bees have already been banned or are in the process of being banned on both sides of the Atlantic and of course, throw in a few references to climate change. All very well but the lack of evidence for any of those scenarios betrays the lack of scientific training. This book *needed* scientific input and suffers for the lack of it.
The biggest horror story comes from the almond colonies of California where honeybees are put under enormous stress and transported across the US. They are treated as livestock, as a multimillion dollar industry and this they say, could be causing CCD. The problem here is that this is one state in one country and CCD is seen all over the world (though admittedly the US is the worst affected country, *possibly* because of the industrial treatment of bee colonies). The writers demonstrate that there is no speculation considered to be invalid.
Certainly we should all be concerned about the plight of the honeybee and in that this book is an interesting introduction, but it isn’t the “bee” all and end all (sorry!) in the same way that Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” is a good introduction to climate change but shouldn’t be the foundation of a person’s argument. I urge anybody who is concerned about the honeybee to read this book… but don’t leave it there.
See more of my book reviews at my blog
However I am always concerned when books about scientific issues are written by journalists and this is no exception. The writers don’t seem to have a critical eye and Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring” is considered just as authoritative as any article in PNAS by qualfiied entomologists! They also contradict themselves in implying that the honeybees are on the verge of extinction. They are not and the steps being taken by governments, including the EU, to tackle this problem are relegated to the last five pages of the final chapter which in some ways makes a lot of the book redundant. There are also species (such as the temperamental African honeybee and the cross-bred Africanised honeybee currently spreading across the US) and many more species that do not seem susceptible to CCD.
They also let their prejudices guide their opinions on what is causing this. They rail against GM despite having no evidence to support it, point a finger at all pesticides despite that those shown to be dangerous to bees have already been banned or are in the process of being banned on both sides of the Atlantic and of course, throw in a few references to climate change. All very well but the lack of evidence for any of those scenarios betrays the lack of scientific training. This book *needed* scientific input and suffers for the lack of it.
The biggest horror story comes from the almond colonies of California where honeybees are put under enormous stress and transported across the US. They are treated as livestock, as a multimillion dollar industry and this they say, could be causing CCD. The problem here is that this is one state in one country and CCD is seen all over the world (though admittedly the US is the worst affected country, *possibly* because of the industrial treatment of bee colonies). The writers demonstrate that there is no speculation considered to be invalid.
Certainly we should all be concerned about the plight of the honeybee and in that this book is an interesting introduction, but it isn’t the “bee” all and end all (sorry!) in the same way that Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” is a good introduction to climate change but shouldn’t be the foundation of a person’s argument. I urge anybody who is concerned about the honeybee to read this book… but don’t leave it there.
See more of my book reviews at my blog
April 5, 2020
Bees being the crucial pollinators to half of the plants on the planet, it's easy to guess the sad disaster that would ensues should they go extinct - from our food industry to clothing, and, even, the pharmaceutical industry. Well, starting in 2006 (though the authors report similar cases, even at local scales only, going as far back as the 19th century) honeybees seem to be doing just that: going extinct. It's on the back cover:
-In America, one in three hives was left lifeless at the beginning of 2008;
-In France, the death rate was more than 60%;
-In Britain, a government minister warned that honeybees could be extinct within a decade.
Colony Collapse Disorders (CCD), whereas entire hives are mysteriously left empty (bees just vanishing, or left dead) is indeed a truly worrying phenomenon. What cause it?
The authors are a couple -she is a journalist, he is a geography teacher, both are amateur beekeepers. Their book is therefore very accessible, but read more like a reportage than a thorough scientific essay. Some will find this is its strength, others its weakness. I, for one, just wanted an overview of the issue, so I found it very engrossing and educative.
They start by describing bees from an entomologist perspective - their biology, their behaviour, the importance of natural selection in their survival. It's fascinating (gosh! such amazing little creatures!). It is, above all, a massive eye-opener when it comes to show how, by messing up with nature, we are responsible for their dying out:
'the selection process practised by commercial beekeepers has traditionally tried to produce bees that are docile, for the amateur beekeeper, and productive, for the honey producer, and build up rapidly in the spring to exploit early honey flow, for the commercial pollinator. This has unavoidably led to a reduction of genetic diversity... By breeding a gentle, efficient honey-maker, we have made bees much more susceptible to disease than they would be if natural selection had played a role.'
It's not only genetic diversity which was swept for demands (the more genetic diversity the fittest). It's also the stress coming with a industrial handling of bees which, beyond honey (they particularly focus on the almond industry in the USA) are bumped-trucked around for thousand of miles, with no respect whatsoever for their natural cycles; a treatment that can only weaken them even more when not contributing to the spread of more diseases. Here's the thing: fragile and equipped with a poor immune system, no wonder bees are succumbing to a wild array of parasites, virus, fungi...
To prevent that, pesticides may of course appear as the easy answer; yet they also are an easy target and root of the problem. The authors are not patronising. They actually perfectly recognise the catch-22 side of the situation:
'...don't use chemical and risk seeing your bees dying of varroa infestation (which has claimed more colonies across the world than CCD); do use them and risk the chemical build-up damaging the bees in the long-term.'
There is indeed no easy answer, and this is why this book is so engrossing: it leaves you racking your brain as much as the authors, and the people involved in the field. France, after all, banned Gaucho - with no effect whatsoever on the situation. And, if some are quick to point to GMO crops (eg a specific variety of corn, supposedly source of a toxic fungi for bees) the evidence doesn't support such claims.
So there we are. Here's an accessible book on an intricate issue, reading like watching a documentary, and, if it doesn't bring clear-cut answers to the question it asks (what is behind bees dying out?) it will, at least, bring to the fore an extremely important argument: it's never a good idea to mess up with natural cycle of our fellow creatures (no matter how tiny) as, respecting biodiversity is more than enjoying nature's beauty - it's the world as we know it which is at stake. An important read.
-In America, one in three hives was left lifeless at the beginning of 2008;
-In France, the death rate was more than 60%;
-In Britain, a government minister warned that honeybees could be extinct within a decade.
Colony Collapse Disorders (CCD), whereas entire hives are mysteriously left empty (bees just vanishing, or left dead) is indeed a truly worrying phenomenon. What cause it?
The authors are a couple -she is a journalist, he is a geography teacher, both are amateur beekeepers. Their book is therefore very accessible, but read more like a reportage than a thorough scientific essay. Some will find this is its strength, others its weakness. I, for one, just wanted an overview of the issue, so I found it very engrossing and educative.
They start by describing bees from an entomologist perspective - their biology, their behaviour, the importance of natural selection in their survival. It's fascinating (gosh! such amazing little creatures!). It is, above all, a massive eye-opener when it comes to show how, by messing up with nature, we are responsible for their dying out:
'the selection process practised by commercial beekeepers has traditionally tried to produce bees that are docile, for the amateur beekeeper, and productive, for the honey producer, and build up rapidly in the spring to exploit early honey flow, for the commercial pollinator. This has unavoidably led to a reduction of genetic diversity... By breeding a gentle, efficient honey-maker, we have made bees much more susceptible to disease than they would be if natural selection had played a role.'
It's not only genetic diversity which was swept for demands (the more genetic diversity the fittest). It's also the stress coming with a industrial handling of bees which, beyond honey (they particularly focus on the almond industry in the USA) are bumped-trucked around for thousand of miles, with no respect whatsoever for their natural cycles; a treatment that can only weaken them even more when not contributing to the spread of more diseases. Here's the thing: fragile and equipped with a poor immune system, no wonder bees are succumbing to a wild array of parasites, virus, fungi...
To prevent that, pesticides may of course appear as the easy answer; yet they also are an easy target and root of the problem. The authors are not patronising. They actually perfectly recognise the catch-22 side of the situation:
'...don't use chemical and risk seeing your bees dying of varroa infestation (which has claimed more colonies across the world than CCD); do use them and risk the chemical build-up damaging the bees in the long-term.'
There is indeed no easy answer, and this is why this book is so engrossing: it leaves you racking your brain as much as the authors, and the people involved in the field. France, after all, banned Gaucho - with no effect whatsoever on the situation. And, if some are quick to point to GMO crops (eg a specific variety of corn, supposedly source of a toxic fungi for bees) the evidence doesn't support such claims.
So there we are. Here's an accessible book on an intricate issue, reading like watching a documentary, and, if it doesn't bring clear-cut answers to the question it asks (what is behind bees dying out?) it will, at least, bring to the fore an extremely important argument: it's never a good idea to mess up with natural cycle of our fellow creatures (no matter how tiny) as, respecting biodiversity is more than enjoying nature's beauty - it's the world as we know it which is at stake. An important read.
July 1, 2013
I am in two minds about this book. On the one hand it is a relatively well written account of the author's research into Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and its potential causes whilst on the other hand it is not a particularly scientific or balanced account of the phenomenon and has more personal opinion (particularly the author's) than is actually helpful. On the positive side it is a very accessible book that anyone will be able to pick up and read without having to have much background knowledge, however this is also a little dangerous given the biased nature of the writing and the limited encouragement given to the reader to go and find out more.
The work also manages to incorporate the poor practices followed by intensive agriculture, the self-serving approach that many take when it comes to food production and, of course, climate change without always relating these to the main topic of CCD. Now don't get me wrong I agree that these are all big issues but confusing the negative impacts of intensive agriculture, big business and climate change with the very specific issue of CCD is potentially a dangerous thing as these issues require different approaches to resolve them and giving the impression that if one is fixed it solves the others is a huge over simplification and potentially directs readers the wrong way.
On the positive side this book does show how important honeybees are to global food production and the economy as a whole and highlights the approach now taken to pollination, particularly in the US, which is forcing unnatural behaviours on the honeybee populations, which may ultimately result in positive changes if enough people start questioning why this is really needed and demanding a change in attitudes (although my cynical nature wonders whether that will actually happen, especially when people realise this will push food prices up).
Overall this is a good read but should be viewed with caution and not taken as truth, a good introduction to the subject but one reader's should use as a starting point and not the final word.
The work also manages to incorporate the poor practices followed by intensive agriculture, the self-serving approach that many take when it comes to food production and, of course, climate change without always relating these to the main topic of CCD. Now don't get me wrong I agree that these are all big issues but confusing the negative impacts of intensive agriculture, big business and climate change with the very specific issue of CCD is potentially a dangerous thing as these issues require different approaches to resolve them and giving the impression that if one is fixed it solves the others is a huge over simplification and potentially directs readers the wrong way.
On the positive side this book does show how important honeybees are to global food production and the economy as a whole and highlights the approach now taken to pollination, particularly in the US, which is forcing unnatural behaviours on the honeybee populations, which may ultimately result in positive changes if enough people start questioning why this is really needed and demanding a change in attitudes (although my cynical nature wonders whether that will actually happen, especially when people realise this will push food prices up).
Overall this is a good read but should be viewed with caution and not taken as truth, a good introduction to the subject but one reader's should use as a starting point and not the final word.
March 13, 2013
In a way I wish I could make people read this - I'm not a raging environmentalist by anyone's standards, but this was a thought-provoking and indeed troubling read.
April 27, 2018
For more reviews, or to see my favourite quotes from this book, check out my blog at http://mlsparrow.wix.com/mlsparrow
First of all, let me address the huge pink elephant in the room. Yes, this book looks boring as hell. You should have seen the look on the cashiers face when I brought it! I then had several family members taking the mickey, however, despite how it seems this book was very interesting and informative. In my opinion everyone should read this book, and books like it, because then maybe more people would understand what's going on in the world and stop being so damn selfish and make an effort to preserve the planet we live on, the air we breath and protect the animals that share the Earth with us. Most people don't realise - even I didn't - how the lack of bees would effect the planet.
I'll admit parts of this book were a bit repetitive and at times it seemed like just a long list of dates, however, I never lost interest, mainly because I was desperate to find out if they find a solution in the end, which I should have guessed since bumblebees are currently on the endangered list and other species are under threat. This book was published in 2008, therefore, I don't really know all that much about any progress since then but I'll definitely be looking into it. Unfortunately, the authors haven't written an up-to-date sequel, but if they ever do I'll be sure to snap it up.
As I've already said this is a very inspiring book, especially the last couple of chapters and anyone who's interested in conservation should definitely read it. Hopefully this book will change the minds of people who think human actions don't harm the environment.
First of all, let me address the huge pink elephant in the room. Yes, this book looks boring as hell. You should have seen the look on the cashiers face when I brought it! I then had several family members taking the mickey, however, despite how it seems this book was very interesting and informative. In my opinion everyone should read this book, and books like it, because then maybe more people would understand what's going on in the world and stop being so damn selfish and make an effort to preserve the planet we live on, the air we breath and protect the animals that share the Earth with us. Most people don't realise - even I didn't - how the lack of bees would effect the planet.
I'll admit parts of this book were a bit repetitive and at times it seemed like just a long list of dates, however, I never lost interest, mainly because I was desperate to find out if they find a solution in the end, which I should have guessed since bumblebees are currently on the endangered list and other species are under threat. This book was published in 2008, therefore, I don't really know all that much about any progress since then but I'll definitely be looking into it. Unfortunately, the authors haven't written an up-to-date sequel, but if they ever do I'll be sure to snap it up.
As I've already said this is a very inspiring book, especially the last couple of chapters and anyone who's interested in conservation should definitely read it. Hopefully this book will change the minds of people who think human actions don't harm the environment.
May 6, 2014
A World Without Bees by Alison Benjamin is interesting and educational. But this book is not particularly well written. I was a bit disappointed that after 300 plus pages researches still are not sure what is causing Colony Collapse Disorder. The problems believed associated with the disorder are many including use of pesticides, virus, and over working of the bees as well as not enough diversity in the queens gene pool. Iowa State U , Penn State U and many other organizations around the world are doing research to try to stem and correct CCD. This research has been extensive since about 2007.
September 7, 2012
So you think we depend on bees for honey? Try apples, oranges, almonds, in fact most fruit - and most vegetables (they also need pollinating!) - oh, and cotton too (there go your T-shirts) and of course meat (bees pollinate the clover and lucern) - so obviously milk (and cheese, and butter, and ice-cream...). Life would be such fun without bees - breakfast of dry toast (uh... no jam, remember?) and cereal with water, while wearing nylon pyjamas.
May 18, 2016
A very slow, sporadic book. No consistency in actually presenting a summary of research, the chapters overlapped a lot and I just ended up not caring at all. Factual inconsistencies about their suggestions of a "world without bees" (or even just pollinators) made me annoyed - not all plant life on earth is sustained by pollinators, in fact basic botany tells us otherwise.
Find another book if you want to read aan out bees.
Find another book if you want to read aan out bees.
December 18, 2017
I highly recommend this book.
But read with caution, as it will leave you wondering about the fate of the human race.
The conclusion I've come to... the REAL reason behind the worldwide loss of honeybees... is simple really... HUMAN GREED. It is terrifying and we do NEED to look into the problem and try to fix it... but if we don't... WE will pay the ultimate price. Humans simply CANNOT live (at least not as we are accustomed to right now) without the humble honeybee.
But read with caution, as it will leave you wondering about the fate of the human race.
The conclusion I've come to... the REAL reason behind the worldwide loss of honeybees... is simple really... HUMAN GREED. It is terrifying and we do NEED to look into the problem and try to fix it... but if we don't... WE will pay the ultimate price. Humans simply CANNOT live (at least not as we are accustomed to right now) without the humble honeybee.
September 4, 2011
Lots of information about why bees are important. I would have liked to read more about what the world would be like without them. Maybe I lack imagination.
December 12, 2017
I started this book because I like honey, only to be taken on a whirlwind tour of global, interdisciplinary scope.
Colony collapse disorder (CCD) has been afflicting bees worldwide at least since the beginning of this century, and maybe earlier. Add to the vagueness of when it began extra vagueness about what causes CCD. This chattily narrated book takes on that lack of clarity and tries to make head and stinger of CCD, its definition and causes: stress? climate change? pesticides? parasites? viruses?
In inquiring down these various avenues the book involves a lot more of the world than what goes on inside the hive: apiculture in its modern migratory form of trucking hives around orchards, agriculture with its increasing mechanization and monoculture, pesticide manufacture and the gargantuan companies involved in it, and general mobility and communications which have destroyed the isolation that formerly protected the honeybee from more aggressive species.
A serious but easily digested study of our not-so-mellifluous modern means of food production.
Colony collapse disorder (CCD) has been afflicting bees worldwide at least since the beginning of this century, and maybe earlier. Add to the vagueness of when it began extra vagueness about what causes CCD. This chattily narrated book takes on that lack of clarity and tries to make head and stinger of CCD, its definition and causes: stress? climate change? pesticides? parasites? viruses?
In inquiring down these various avenues the book involves a lot more of the world than what goes on inside the hive: apiculture in its modern migratory form of trucking hives around orchards, agriculture with its increasing mechanization and monoculture, pesticide manufacture and the gargantuan companies involved in it, and general mobility and communications which have destroyed the isolation that formerly protected the honeybee from more aggressive species.
A serious but easily digested study of our not-so-mellifluous modern means of food production.
May 8, 2018
One of the books acknowledged in the novel A History Of Bees. I was fascinated by disappearance of the bees so I read it to find out more. This should be stripped back a bit, updated and republished as a text for everyone to read.
May 9, 2022
Didn't finish. Title suggests it will mostly be about the impact bees have but it was mostly dry reading about the same viruses and cross breeding genetic issues wiping out colonies in different places in different times.
November 15, 2022
This book was full of wonderful information about needs. Some of my favorite parts of the book were about the different dances bees do and the harm pesticides can cause to bees. I will say, this book was a bit boring for me at times but it was very informative!
April 30, 2024
Very scientific, if you are interested in a methodological viewpoint on the decline of bees this is a must read. It includes very specific definitions and articles that may require a scientific background to understand.
January 21, 2020
A great insight into the importance of bees to our world and what we can do to save them.
November 18, 2020
Interesting but slightly doomsday-ish. Trying to cram a lot of information into a quite short books leaves a lot of issues unresolved.
May 22, 2024
super duper BORING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
far too many bee movie references for my liking....
kept repeating the same info like literally copy and pasting it from previous parts of the book
far too many bee movie references for my liking....
kept repeating the same info like literally copy and pasting it from previous parts of the book
February 18, 2020
A fascinating and informative read! Although, as it was published in 2008, and it is now 2020, it may he due for an update.
September 5, 2019
I chose this book as we were set a book about bees as a book reading challenge and wanted to find out more about them. I found the book readable and informative and now feel I know more about the honeybee and the delicate balance and threats to its survival and the impact this might have on the planet.
January 11, 2010
‘A World Without Bees‘ takes an in-depth look into why honeybees all over the world are disappearing and what that might mean for us. It doesn’t make entertaining reading – the message is too bleak, and at times the text itself it dense, littered with acronyms for bee viruses and scientific names for parasites.
The book is divided into 11 chapters. The first looks at man’s use of honeybees over thousands of years. The second investigates why the honeybee is so important to us, looking beyond honey to its role in pollination. Chapter 3 looks at the effects that selective breeding has on honeybee populations.
Chapters 4 to 9 look at CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder, the phenomenon of bees simply disappearing from their hives with no apparent warning) and some of its possible causes – including pesticides, GM crops, pests and diseases, environmental pollution and climate change and the industrialization of bee-keeping.
Chapters 10 & 11 examine the likelihood that honeybees will become extinct in our lifetime, the consequences that would follow, and what we might do to stop that happening.
Although many characters in the honeybee world (bee-keepers, scientists, farmers, chemical companies and governments) have their own opinion on what is effecting the honeybees, there is little consensus on what may be causing CCD. There’s not even a global consensus that CCD exists. Research is fragmented and under-funded and strongly influenced by politics.
What unfolds in the book is a world that is seriously detrimental to Western honeybees (Apis mellifera). We’ve transported them across the world, exposing them to viruses and parasites they have no resistance against. We’ve inbred them to the point where they just don’t have the genetic diversity to cope with adversity. They don’t have robust mechanisms to deal with toxicity, and so the modern world with its environmental pollution and widespread pesticide use is not a healthy place for them.
In the US, honeybees are trucked across the country to provide pollination services to huge farms of one crop (California’s almond plantations being the largest) after another – spending long days on the road and never having a chance for a holiday. The increased industrialization of agriculture and urbanization means that bees diets are becoming more limited, and they are suffering nutritional stress. And we’re adding GM pollen to their diets.
Climate change is affecting bees too, with different flowering times for plant species and changing weather conditions that affect foraging bees.
What this adds up to is a complex mixture of industrialization, urbanization and globalization effects that bees simply may not be able to cope with. If honeybees die out, vast areas of agricultural land will go unpollinated – and the world will starve.
There are other pollinating insects, including thousands of bee species, but they are all suffering similar stresses from pollution, climate change and habitat loss. And they simply can’t be ‘managed’ as honeybees can.
Scientists are investigating many possible solutions (including anti-viral drugs and genetically modified super bees), but it seems as though there is little progress on the one thing that might make a difference – changing the way we grow our food. Adding space for wildlife back into the agricultural landscape has a huge positive effect on biodiversity, the availability of wild pollinators and the health of honeybee populations.
The book is divided into 11 chapters. The first looks at man’s use of honeybees over thousands of years. The second investigates why the honeybee is so important to us, looking beyond honey to its role in pollination. Chapter 3 looks at the effects that selective breeding has on honeybee populations.
Chapters 4 to 9 look at CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder, the phenomenon of bees simply disappearing from their hives with no apparent warning) and some of its possible causes – including pesticides, GM crops, pests and diseases, environmental pollution and climate change and the industrialization of bee-keeping.
Chapters 10 & 11 examine the likelihood that honeybees will become extinct in our lifetime, the consequences that would follow, and what we might do to stop that happening.
Although many characters in the honeybee world (bee-keepers, scientists, farmers, chemical companies and governments) have their own opinion on what is effecting the honeybees, there is little consensus on what may be causing CCD. There’s not even a global consensus that CCD exists. Research is fragmented and under-funded and strongly influenced by politics.
What unfolds in the book is a world that is seriously detrimental to Western honeybees (Apis mellifera). We’ve transported them across the world, exposing them to viruses and parasites they have no resistance against. We’ve inbred them to the point where they just don’t have the genetic diversity to cope with adversity. They don’t have robust mechanisms to deal with toxicity, and so the modern world with its environmental pollution and widespread pesticide use is not a healthy place for them.
In the US, honeybees are trucked across the country to provide pollination services to huge farms of one crop (California’s almond plantations being the largest) after another – spending long days on the road and never having a chance for a holiday. The increased industrialization of agriculture and urbanization means that bees diets are becoming more limited, and they are suffering nutritional stress. And we’re adding GM pollen to their diets.
Climate change is affecting bees too, with different flowering times for plant species and changing weather conditions that affect foraging bees.
What this adds up to is a complex mixture of industrialization, urbanization and globalization effects that bees simply may not be able to cope with. If honeybees die out, vast areas of agricultural land will go unpollinated – and the world will starve.
There are other pollinating insects, including thousands of bee species, but they are all suffering similar stresses from pollution, climate change and habitat loss. And they simply can’t be ‘managed’ as honeybees can.
Scientists are investigating many possible solutions (including anti-viral drugs and genetically modified super bees), but it seems as though there is little progress on the one thing that might make a difference – changing the way we grow our food. Adding space for wildlife back into the agricultural landscape has a huge positive effect on biodiversity, the availability of wild pollinators and the health of honeybee populations.
June 16, 2016
The book was published in 2008, so things have moved on since then, but it was interesting, if not concerning to read their account of Colony Collapse Disorder. The authors travelled widely and met a lot of apiarists and scientists in the course of their research. It seems, after all, that massive depopulations aren't without precedent, such as the Isle of Wight disease in the first decade of the twentieth century. Varroa mite infestation would appear to be a key problem, but, of course the actions of man have a lot to do with the problems facing bees; the Europeans transported them to the colonies, plus in more modern times, man has imported bees from abroad to replaced those lost to CCD. Bees from one region of the world simply haven't developed the defences against the diseases and parasites they encounter in another part of the world. Added to that, in the case of the US, for example, bees are being transported thousands of miles to pollinate whatever crop is in bloom. In the case of the Californian almond harvest, for example, pollination takes place in February, which is really still winter for the bees: it's screws with their natural cycle. Added to that, of course, are pesticides. A whole shedload more research is needed to ascertain what effect these really do have on bees (and other fauna), but no-one wants to pay for it. Like everything, it all comes down to money - governments don't want to shell out for the research and the big chemical companies and farming conglomerates just want to keep on making their massive profits. What happens when the bees are gone - who knows? No fruit, no vegetables, no cotton...
February 6, 2017
Excellent detailed explanation of which pesticides and companies are affecting our wildlife, unfortunately not much information on what would be available to the world if bees did become extinct. This was a very narrow book that concentrated mostly on chemicals and arguments between scientists, apiarists and chemical companies.
I had hoped this book would concentrate on the things that would be available if bees were to die out, perhaps tell us of the other insects that also pollinate, though doesn't make honey - this book concentrates too much on pesticides and honey making bees and financial problems regarding bee decline.
It does however warn us of the dangers of pesticides and the fact that it doesn't only affect bees but many other beneficial insects which could in itself destroy the world as we know it, if they were all to die out. However, though it isn't as productive as having bees the book does state that in Sichuan province China humans are pollinating the pears because their specie of bee has gone extinct - for me personally, it doesn't really show the true dramatic affect of bee decline in all it's glory. It is a very narrow-minded business oriented book in my opinion.
I had hoped this book would concentrate on the things that would be available if bees were to die out, perhaps tell us of the other insects that also pollinate, though doesn't make honey - this book concentrates too much on pesticides and honey making bees and financial problems regarding bee decline.
It does however warn us of the dangers of pesticides and the fact that it doesn't only affect bees but many other beneficial insects which could in itself destroy the world as we know it, if they were all to die out. However, though it isn't as productive as having bees the book does state that in Sichuan province China humans are pollinating the pears because their specie of bee has gone extinct - for me personally, it doesn't really show the true dramatic affect of bee decline in all it's glory. It is a very narrow-minded business oriented book in my opinion.
October 20, 2014
Where would we be without bees? A third of what we eat and much of what we wear relies on pollination by honeybees. So the fact that honeybees are in desperate trouble as their numbers plummet across the planet is of major concern to all of us.
A World Without Bees, whose authors are keen beekeepers themselves, outlines the history of the human relationship with the honeybee, going back to early cave paintings of bees. It then explores all the stresses that we put on bees, including trucking bees across the USA to pollinate crops across the country (but especially the Californian almond orchards); the effects of pesticides and fungicides and the spread of parasites such as the Varroa mite. The authors try to analyse how these stresses fit in with the widely observed colony collapse disorder which sees hives suddenly lose all or most of their bees.
This is sobering, depressing reading and doesn't really offer any solutions. But one thing is certain, we need to save the bees, if we are to have any meaningful future ourselves.
A World Without Bees, whose authors are keen beekeepers themselves, outlines the history of the human relationship with the honeybee, going back to early cave paintings of bees. It then explores all the stresses that we put on bees, including trucking bees across the USA to pollinate crops across the country (but especially the Californian almond orchards); the effects of pesticides and fungicides and the spread of parasites such as the Varroa mite. The authors try to analyse how these stresses fit in with the widely observed colony collapse disorder which sees hives suddenly lose all or most of their bees.
This is sobering, depressing reading and doesn't really offer any solutions. But one thing is certain, we need to save the bees, if we are to have any meaningful future ourselves.
October 6, 2012
As a new beekeeper, I welcome this thorough account of the problems that bees are facing today, their population decline, the specter of their extinction. Not least, the consequences for biodiversity and the food chain. While this is not an academic text, there's a great deal of information here, apparently very well-researched. My one criticism is that while I learned much about the US bee problems, industrial pollination and issues related to long distance trucking, the issues pertaining to the UK and to Europe were less thoroughly explored. Yes, Scotland for example, is suffering a major bee population decline, with almost no feral colonies left, other colonies decimated. Large tracts of the country are bee-less. Admittedly our recent harsh winters and cold summers have been a major challenge.
I would welcome an update of this book (now 4 years old) with more specifically on the UK.
I would welcome an update of this book (now 4 years old) with more specifically on the UK.
January 10, 2012
This book is a microcosm of the modern world. Bees are great and they have been around as long as we have. However, they are under threat and this book looks at the issues surrounding the issue. They include; diseases and mites affecting bees, the different species, the ecological changes, city sprawl,the introduction of foriegn species, pesticides and industrialisation. Bees themselves are an economic commidity to be trucked around to pollinate. For me the biggest insight is the way science, agriculture, individual beekeepers, the chemical companies and nations interact to demonstrate how complicated and difficult it is to find any kind of solution. It is microcosm of vthe global warming debate and tells me that self - interest is almost insurmountable, as everyone can find some science/study to back up their point of view.
October 31, 2015
There aren't many more chilling statements that have been made about the death of the human race than this:
"If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left.” –Albert Einstein
A World Without Bees was published back in 2008 so some of the information feels a little dated now as more research has been done, however I would still recommend this to anyone who is looking to brush up on some background info. It looks into some of the possible causes of the declines in honeybee populations around the world, so the use of pesticides and intensive farming is discussed as well as diseases and the phenomena of CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder), whilst giving a good overview of how essential bees are to sustain ourselves and our ecosystem. A sobering book to pick up.
"If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left.” –Albert Einstein
A World Without Bees was published back in 2008 so some of the information feels a little dated now as more research has been done, however I would still recommend this to anyone who is looking to brush up on some background info. It looks into some of the possible causes of the declines in honeybee populations around the world, so the use of pesticides and intensive farming is discussed as well as diseases and the phenomena of CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder), whilst giving a good overview of how essential bees are to sustain ourselves and our ecosystem. A sobering book to pick up.
April 10, 2010
It is always delightful to read a book written by someone who loves their topic. Two amateur apiarists write an extremely enjoyable book about the bee crisis. By enjoyable I mean, of course, intelligent, accessible, and informative. By crisis I mean, of course, the horrifying prospect of the honeybee's extinction. In the prestigious vein of Silent Spring, Benjamin and McCallum thoroughly explore one of the great environmental problems facing us today. It is a journey well worth following.
November 1, 2009
A British beekeeping friend sent us this book published in England, sub-titled THE MYSTERIOUS DECLINE OF THE HONEYBEE AND WHAT IT MEANS TO US. I didn't realize that bees pollinate a third of our food crops. The authors present the inconvenient truths about climate change, pesticides, agricultural industrialisation, etc. The endangerment of the honeybee was predicted decades ago in Rachel Carson's SILENT SPRING. Read (both books) and weep.
July 15, 2010
This book began my fascination with the honey bee. While it may not be an entertaining read, it opens your eyes to a side of agricultural practices that are fascinating and yet disturbing. Our reliance on this little creature is enormous. This lead me to read a lot on the topic (and probably bore people stupid) but as Albert Einstein told us, in not so many words, bees die and within four years we're screwed.
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