More Than Honey

Worldwide, millions of honeybee colonies are dying each year, but the causes remain unknown. Depending on the world region, 50% to 90% of all local bees have disappeared, and this epidemic is still spreading from beehive to beehive – all over the planet. Scientists have good reason to be worried by this “colony collapse disorder”: 80% of plant species require bees to be pollinated. Far from being a casual curiosity, the death of honeybees gains frightening importance when we consider that they pollinate a third of all the food we eat.Should we blame pesticides or the medications used to combat them? Parasites or new viruses? Travelling stress? On our trip for answers we meet almond growers in California, a Swiss mountain beekeeper, a bee neuroscientist in Berlin, a pollen dealer in China, a bee researcher in Australia, and an inspirational pioneer forging a future with “killer bees”.