Reviewers called “Vanishing of the Bees”: “an essential documentary,” “a ‘bees knees’ of a film, powerfully argued and very timely” and “alarming enough to convince you that this is an issue that needs action at the highest level.” This 2009 documentary will be shown at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 9, as part of the continuing Social Justice Film Series at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach. There is no charge for the series; tickets or reservations are not required.
Commercial honeybee operations pollinate crops that make up one-third of the food on our tables, but honeybees have been mysteriously disappearing across the planet, literally vanishing from their hives. Known as Colony Collapse Disorder, this phenomenon has brought beekeepers to crisis in an industry responsible for producing apples, broccoli, watermelon, onions, cherries and a hundred other fruits and vegetables.
“Vanishing of the Bees” follows two commercial beekeepers as they strive to keep their bees healthy and fulfill pollination contracts across the U.S. The two friends plead their case on Capitol Hill and travel across the Pacific Ocean in the quest to protect their honeybees.
Filmed across the US, in Europe, Australia and Asia, this documentary examines the alarming disappearance of honeybees and the greater meaning it holds about the relationship between mankind and mother earth. As scientists puzzle over the cause, organic beekeepers indicate alternative reasons for this tragic loss. Conflicting options abound and, after years of research, a definitive answer has not been found to this harrowing mystery.
The film is free; however, donation baskets will be in the lobby for contributions to offset the cost of the film’s screening rights fee. The Fair Trade Corner will be open before the film.
The UU Fellowship is handicapped-accessible with easy parking, located at 1590 27th Avenue on the southeast corner of 27th Avenue and 16th Street. For more information, call 772-778-5880.
Indian River Guardian 
Mark, thank you for sharing this. This activity is so important and I truly hope there are many people who will come and watch when it is shown again in the future.
With the current issues with Monsanto and Syngenta (among the largest of abusers) polluting our country, our food sources and our very bodies with their neonicotins (through use of “Roundup” and other pesticides biocides and insecticides), we should all consider the extreme dangers and be aware of what can potentially happen if the bee populations continue to decline as they have. The state of Oregon has undertaken a “temporary” pesticide ban as a result of a loss of 50 thousand bees. Canada saw a shocking 37 MILLION bee loss just last week. A friend in Ohio who has kept bees because of her own family’s concern for bee loss has gone from 6 hives to just ONE in less than 10 years.
The children who died in India as a result of ingesting the GMO products that Monsanto is dishing out leads many to believe that third world countries who accept their feed/grain and more are being used as guinea pigs… as are all of us in the United States who fail to ask for appropriate labeling of GMO products so we can make our own choices in how we feed our families.
I understand that the cost of organics is out of touch for many of us, and it’s why we must take action to reverse these very dangerous trends. I for one, am very excited at the advances in hydroponics, and how accessible it is becoming. I would love to see small home units installed all over the place so we can all learn to be self-sufficient and grow our own. We have more opportunities in Florida because of our year-round season, so it makes sense to do so. But if we have no bees, we will all have to learn how to pollinate them by hand. No mean feat, I’m sure.
Isn’t it about time this poisoning is stopped? We should keep in mind the adage, ” If not us, who? If not now, WHEN?”
I hope the UU or some other forward-thinking organization will show this again, especially in light of the ongoing issues we are facing. Maybe a quarterly or bi-annual viewing as a minimum would be a decent opportunity for more people to be made aware of the need for strong action.