[mmanager]

I live in the Midwest and this is being talked about quite a bit. Think about the pollination that the bee's produce. Our produce is a product of their work.

[dinasour]

> Our produce is a product of their work.

That's the point of my interest.

If true, this could be a much bigger deal than, say, Avian Flu.

[duckworth]

I work outside a lot, and I keep a journal just to entertain myself about things I notice. Over the past 15 years I've noticed the comings and goings of many different types of insects. Sometimes every nook and cranny is covered in earwigs. The next year you never see an earwig. Sometime the trees are covered in boxelder bugs. The next year there are none. I thought I noticed one year after an especially brutal winter in the Northeast (1996), there were very few bees. In fact it was delightful for my kids because the year before they were plagued by bees.

That is all.