David Hammerstein, MEP for the Greens
should remember the wisdom contained in something that Albert Einstein once said: "If the bees began to disappear, humanity it would be a few years of life. "It is disturbing that in the world are becoming empty hives and bees are gradually disappearing, and being that 80% of plant species have flowers that depend on bees for pollinated. Without bees there would be no fruits or vegetables.
Small bees are an essential link in the chain of life that would be broken without them. One of the vital functions of the bees are in their active participation in the regeneration process the living world of plants. This huge cyclical work for plant life and human societies appear to be threatened today. In the last year has been a mass death of bees that is ruining much of the beekeeping industry. In Spain they have gone over 600 thousand hives in the United States over a million and a half of colonies have been empty, in Germany there are 25% less in France thousand hives and beekeepers are forced to leave the profession each year because of this crisis.
scientists are lost in conjectures on the causes of what they call "the syndrome of colony collapse." It is clear that the role of insecticides has been an important factor. Another possibility considered by some GM crops are corn genetically incorporated the function of a natural insecticide just the bees carry pollen to their hives. Until it has been scientifically hypothesized loss of bees to electromagnetic waves of mobile telephony. Obviously, chemical-intensive monoculture (as Valencian citrus hybrids veto the presence of colonies), changing the landscape with the disappearance of meadows and massive developments have been variable in reducing the habitat of the bees. Even according to some voices, the same chemical-intensive beekeeping few varieties of honey bees has caused increased vulnerability to pests and reduced the diversity of wild bees, weakening ecosystems in general.
The lack of honey production in Europe has increased dependence on imported honey, especially from China. In recent years there have been numerous health warnings from the European Commission to the recurrent presence of high levels of antibiotics and pesticides banned in batches of imported Chinese honey. Needless to say, we must demand the same health standards for products outside that compel our beekeepers.
we be facing a serious threat of a sad "Silent Spring", as Rachel Carson pointed out 40 years ago, only this time it would be without the buzzing of bees and a serious decline in plant diversity with environmental and economic consequences incalculable . This crisis calls an institutional response and strong scientific and coordinate at all levels.
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