Christian Internet Forum

The Mystery Honey Bee Die-Off

Lately, the vanishing honey bee has been making the news. Although it's too early to tell, you begin to wonder, does something like this have anything to do with the End Times? There is an interesting article written by Dr. Larry Spargimino in the May edition of the "Prophetic Observer" of the Southwest Radio Ministries:

" It's amazing how much we take for granted - until a precious commodity, or blessing is lost. While most people haven't given much thought to honey bees, their mysterious die-off is causing alarm.

On February 5, 2007, the Discovery Channel reported: "Something is wiping out honey bees across North America and a team of researchers is rushing to find out what it is...Aside from making honey, honey bees are essential for the pollination of tens of millions of dollars worth of cash crops all over the United States."

Pennsylvania alone stands to lose millions of dollars. A report in the "Penn State College of Agriculture Sciences News" says that Pennsylvania's $45 million apple crop - the fourth largest in the country - is completely dependent on insects for pollination, and 90 percent of that pollination comes from the honey bees. For Pennsylvania this means about $40 million.

Losses of such magnitude will cause prices to skyrocket. This could also threaten our food supply. Honey bees are one of the most important crop pollinators in the world. "The San Francisco Chronicle" reported: "Given that nearly every bite of food that we eat has a pollinator, the seriousness of this emerging problem could dwarf all previous food disruptions."

No one knows precisely what is causing the die off. The best that science can do is come up with a name for the Phenomenon - Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). In hives hit by CCD, adult workers fly away and disappear, leaving but a small cluster of workers and the hive's young to fend for themselves. Surprisingly, nearby predators, such as the wax moth, are refusing to pilfer the honey. On the basis of this, some have concluded that pesticides are the cause of CCD. The pesticides are leaching into the honey and leaving an odor that makes the honey unpalatable.

There is no unanimity, however, regarding the cause of CCD. Some have claimed the problem is "global warming," genetically-altered crops, various pathogens that attack bees, as well as tiny mites...sometimes called "the Vampire Mite, embedded in the clothing and bodies of all the immigrants who are coming across the U.S. border from who knows where.

One researcher noticed that while several beekeepers have lost up to 80 percent of their hives, the most puzzling thing of all is the lack of dead bee carcasses...Something similar had happened in North America about fifty years ago. It is called Inter-hour Variability (IHV) which has something to do with sunspots.

Another possible cause of the bee die-off is morgellons. Mor...what? On August 9, 2006, ABC News featured a report entitled "Morgellons Mystery - mysterious colored fibers grow on their skin like hair - it's a medical mystery." The report referenced a pediatrician in Gainsville, Georgia, who claimed he had a fiber coming out of his toe. The ABC News report also mentioned a lady in Florida who claims she has colored fibers coming out of her skin. She said her life was going real well until, one day, she noticed tiny fibers running through her skin.

What does all this have to do with the honey bee die-off? One bee keeper writes about morgellons: "Although its effects on humans is being increasingly well documented by a small cadre of dedicated researches, what remains less known by the morgellons-aware public is that this pathogen does not limit its attentions to humans alone."

There is no consensus about the cause of the honey bee die-off. However, its effects in just a few years could be staggering. While we cant count dead bee carcasses because there aren't any, we can count our blessings while they last. Rising food prices and food shortages sound apocalyptic and mirror the conditions announced with the opening of the third seal. "And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine" (Rev. 6:5-6).

In view of these developments, the blessed hope is becoming more blessed - "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). "

By George Konig
5/6/2007
www.konig.org



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Copyright ©1999-2008 George Konig
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