Adrian Higgins, Washington Post Staff Writer alleges at the end of his generally excellent article on threats to bees Tuesday, May 14, 2002; Page A01 > a quotation attributed to Albert Einstein: "If the bee disappeared >off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life >left." Can anyone confirm or correct this attribution? I doubt he said anything so far from his expertise. Higgins also reports >beekeepers from California to Virginia are scratching their >heads at the Bush administration's proposal to close three of the four >Department of Agriculture bee research laboratories, including the first, >opened in the 1890s in Chevy Chase and moved to Beltsville in 1939. > >To save money and avoid possible duplication, the president has proposed >closing the bee labs at Beltsville, Baton Rouge, La., and Tucson. The >laboratory at Weslaco, Tex., would remain open. Funding would be reduced >from $5.7 million to $2.5 million, and the number of positions cut from 21 >to 9. > >"We certainly recognize the concern, but at the same time we have to reflect >some national priorities right now," said Alisa Harrison, spokeswoman for >Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman. > >But beekeepers interviewed said any duplication of efforts by the >researchers is warranted in this crisis, and the cadre of scientists at the >four labs represents the honeybee's best hope for survival in the United >States. > >"It's like cutting all research for mad-cow disease just when an epidemic of >the disease reaches its pinnacle and decimates our beef industry," said >Laszlo Pentek, an Arlington beekeeper. This seems to me a sober comparison by Mr Pentek. R