Birds and Bees Are in Big Trouble
Seriously. West Nile virus has swept through entire bird species, particularly on the Eastern Seaboard. According to one scientific study, more than one-third of all American crows have died. In the Baltimore-Washington area, The Associated Press reports, the death toll is at 90 percent. I'm not the biggest crow fan in the world, but even I was stunned by that number.
Meanwhile, honeybees are disappearing by the millions. Scientists have a name for this: Colony Collapse Disorder, but they don't know what causes it. Insects like bees pollinate one-third of all foods grown in America. But one potential clue exists -- organic bee growers, who do not use pesticides, say they haven't seen colony collapse.
This Morning Edition report from earlier this month looks at some of the causes of colony collapse, including new pathogens, disruptive human communications or even the possibility of a "bee rapture" event.
11:15 AM ET | 05-17-2007 | permalink
