Probably the most common bee controversy associated with Albert Einstein is whether he ever predicted this: “If the bee disappeared from the surface of the earth, man would not have more than four years to live.”
Perhaps the reason this dispute created such a stir was because it was quite unimaginable for Albert Einstein, who was neither an entomologist nor a beekeeper, to speculate about bees.
However, we would all miss the most important lesson of this hoo-ha if our minds are focused on verifying the authenticity of the quote. The underlying question is “How true is this statement?” It is not like this? We can restlessly brag about our knowledge of advancing science and technology today, but how much do we really know about the world we live in? Have we blatantly and foolishly taken nature for granted?
Sometime in 2007, the sudden and mysterious disappearance of honey bees in the United States, Europe, and Brazil was a reminder of the quote attributed to Albert Einstein and a wake-up call for humanity. Beekeepers lost most of their hives and suffered significant losses in honey production, and so far they are still stumbling on understanding this so-called “colony collapse disorder” syndrome and its cause. No one could explain why the bees became disoriented and did not return to their hives!
We are told that the honey bee is wholly responsible for the pollination of over 90 fruit and vegetable crops around the world, so it would be devastating if we lost most or all of our pollinating bees for these crops. The bee is a fragile part of our system and an important indicator of our unbalanced world. His strange disappearing act has far-reaching implications for our agricultural food supply and is definitely not an issue that needs to be monitored.
So far, some of the possible causes of this strange phenomenon postulated by scientists include:
o Global warming accelerates the growth rates of pathogens such as mites, viruses and fungi that affect the health of bee colonies. Unusual fluctuations of hot and cold weather wreak havoc on bee populations that are used to constant seasonal weather patterns.
o The increasing use of chemical pesticides and herbicides, which honey bees ingest during their daily rounds of pollination, has weakened or killed them.
o Increased atmospheric electromagnetic radiation as a result of the growing number of cell phones and wireless communication towers. Cell phone radiation interferes with bees’ ability to navigate through the air.
Ultimately, whether Albert Einstein ever discussed bees becomes an irrelevant concern in light of a much more serious question: “What should we do to encourage the return of bees?”
Source: http://www.beneficios-de-la-miel.com/albert-einstein.html