#wycd

Citizens of earth, your honeybee is in danger.

What you should know:

Most likely, through contact with tumblr or otherwise, you have heard about the plight of the bees.

In Britain, the number of bee species has dropped to half its level in the 1950s.

The Portland Tribune reported the deaths of 50,000 bumblebees in Wilsonville, Oregon after the spraying of dinotefuran (a pesticide) in a Target parking lot.

Elmwood, Canada recently found 36 to 37 million dead bees soon after the planting of corn, the production of which uses neonicotinoid insecticides banned in the EU.

The Midwestern United States uses these on nearly all corn crops today, despite their known toxicity to honeybees.

Why you should care:

Bees are some of the most important plant pollinators on earth--Albert Einstein is even thought to have said that "if the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left."

Hundreds of varieties of fruits, vegetables, cottons and pasture grasses depend upon the honey bee not only for pollination, which increases biodiversity therefore protecting against disease, but to ensure that these crops develop flavor and stay fresh long enough for consumption--which could cause gastrointestinal discomfort.

This means vegetables, fruits, livestock, and cotton clothing could be things of the past. Or at least things strictly for the extremely wealthy.

What you can do:

A British organization dedicated to the conservation of native bumblebees posted a to-do list which details ten things you as an individual can do to promote the health, longevity and spread of bee colonies.

Buy organic products if fiscally possible.

Ask your congressman or local authority to work on dinotefuran and neonicotinoid bans in your state.