You are exactly right, this could be VERY serious. No bees, no food. That is the bottom line. I wonder though if it may be that scientists, attempting to stop the spread of africaized bees, caused it?
I really and truly hope that Im wrong. I hope Im overreacting and this is just a normal thing in the cycle of bees. However bee keepers with decades of experience have never seen anything like this to this degree and this wide spread before.