Bee deaths

The bee theory is based on Chaos theory, since any relatively small action can cause a reaction in ways that cannot be easily foreseen. The bee theory speculates that recent erratic behavior patterns of honey bee populations in the USA and Europe could cause a chain reaction that would eventually eliminate the agricultural model being used by the first world, bringing chaos, wars, famine and destruction in the coming years.

Science behind it

As is well known, bees are extremely social creatures and are very fond of living in colonies. As in any bureaucracy there must be certain individuals in a management position.

The job of the Queen is to make more bees. The other members of the colony obey, feed and protect her. Without the Queen bee the colony goes out of control and the rest of the bees have no idea what to do. Another characteristic of the Queen is that once she is settled in one colony, she will not move, even if it means the end of their society.

For some 15 years now bees have been acting in a strange way in Europe and in the US. They have been literally flying away to die. Some experts explain this as a manifestation of stress; others are suggesting the theory in which changes in magnetic resonance are affecting the perception of the communications system bees use, directing them to fly off to extremely distant locations, or not assigning an adequate amount of worker bees to maintain the Queen bee's needs, causing the death of the Queen bee.

With the Queen bee dead the colony cannot survive. If this was a couple of cases, or an isolated scenario, then there would be no worries on the subject, but the problem is that these changes and the constant proliferation of pesticides are decimating not only the numbers of insects in general, but specifically honey bees.

They are a major factor in the agricultural economy, not only for apiculturists (bee keepers), but also for agriculture in general. Apiculture is an important business, since for ages honey has been a staple in human consumption and is needed in food preparation. But the benefits of apiculture do not only derive from the commercialization of honey itself, but also from the effect honey bees have on agriculture in general.

Insects, as well as wind and animals are crucial for the pollination needed for plant reproduction. Sharply declining bee populations deter crop production in the USA and Europe. The Apiculture is not as big a factor in third world countries, but the impact would be felt nonetheless.

A sharp decrease in bee population would affect crop reproduction, food production, the lumber industry, and any other plant byproduct that could be greatly reduced. The lack of food and lumber could easily bring chaos to our society if a solution is not worked out in time. The impact of the lack of honey bees would also mean that the apiculture business and related ones would simply disappear.

Should we worry

Considering the effect this decline in bees could have on our world, we should be very worried.

Worst case scenario

Complete chaos could ensue due to the effects of sharply reduced crop yields deficit, bringing down the economy in general and society at large. The exportation of food and other products from USA could go down steeply. Entire regions could experience famine.

The imbalance of food and resources could cause producer countries to stop exporting since they would need to focus on satisfying their own population's food needs. The desperate need for supplies and food could bring the worst out of people, as we have seen many times when there have been riots in which people attacked supply sources, using violence to satisfy basic needs.

At some moment the embargoes and decisions to hoard food and supplies could bring neighboring countries to attach one another, as a way to obtain the resources needed. Food rationing could be a common sight in this scenario, and the death count would not only include the people who die of famine, but also those who die to obtain resources for their families.

Eventually, matters could really get out of hand and countries could resort to extreme measures such as eradicating entire populations just to be able to feed the hungry. Ironically, this could either end life as we know it, or it could bring about a new, different balance in wealth, where the powerful control the crops, and not necessarily rare metals, oil, or even water.

Best case scenario

If the decline in apicultural production raises enough concern in the general population to call attention to this problem before it results in any great decrease in production, all harm could be minimized, and even avoided.

Advice

The production in vitro plants, bio technology and genetic engineering could replace the need for an abundant bee population. In this way the danger could be averted if action is taken very soon.

Also, the pattern of the wandering suicidal bees could be eliminated through natural selection, or bio engineering and artificial selection of efficient "races" of honey bees. Effective rationing of resources might have to be implemented until a solution is found and put into practice.