As I mentioned in my initial email, this is geared for the masses, most of whom don't even know bees pollinate. Second, the quotes included were from real people. This is a trailer aimed at getting money. With a film you need to show that the stakes are high. When I have the money to complete the film I will go into much more detail on many fronts. I am not PBS or SIxty Minutes with a slot to fill and ratings to get. I generally care about the bees and this is a window into CCD. CCD is just a launching pad, the more important thing is how the bees are treated. Re-queening ad nauseum, giving them corn-syrup, stressing them for job to job are all under question as practices that are compromising the bee's immune system.

The quote at the end is from a beekeeper. I did'n't feed him lines and he is near bankruptcy. 
CCD is a wake up call to tell the public that we need bees. That we need to respect nature. And that we've gone to far in the way we farm. when the way a fruit looks is more important to the way it tastes.


Maryam Henein
Writer/Producer/All-around Raconteur
www.vanishingbees.com<http://www.vanishingbees.com/>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXircJ_eJ1Y<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXircJ_eJ1Y>
http://ossmedicinejewelry.etsy.com<http://ossmedicinejewelry.etsy.com/> 
(place link in browser)
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> 
  To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> 
  Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007 4:42 PM
  Subject: Re: [BEE-L] The Vanishing of the Bees Trailer is finally UP -- please view!


  The movie focused on some important issues in Ag and beekeeping, like over working the bees 
  and pesticide useage. 

  I did not like the underlying tone and message of the movie though.  IMO the problem with this 
  movie is the same problem with 90% of the printed media on CCD, it assumes that there was a big 
  near catastrophic loss. The story is built on a false premise. 

  Many of us beleive that the true percentage of hives lost nationally  to CCD was 2-5%. To back 
  that statement up with real world facts, consider that the CA almonds were pollinated without a 
  shortage and there was never a shortage of package or queens bees in spring 2007.  Sorry we just 
  did not have a huge national loss or shortage of bees!

  We are no were near collapse as the movie intoned at the end. This is just more sensationlistic 
  hooey.  It implies we can do nothing as CCD is One BIg Mystery.. The fact is we can and should 
  change the system of how bees are kept and moved in the USA. No big mystery here what the 
  problems are.  

  I would recommend that attention be given to the fact that  if CCD was a contagious disease that 
  randomly affected any hive that with the mass movement of hives each year we have a wonderully 
  efficient system of spreading deadly problems across the nation within a couple of months time.  

  That to me is more interesting and mind boggling then CCD that was possibly nothing more then 
  a flash in the pan. Who cares about CCD that hardly affected that many hives. Why not focus on 
  how we will deal with the next Big One someday if we keep allowing free for all mass movement 
  with no plan for quarrantine in the event we really did have a deadly pathogen. 

  How stupid would the industry look if the average Joe realzed that we have NADA, Nothing, Zero, 
  in place to stop the quick spread of deadly disease via migratory beekeeping. 

  While all beekeeping is local I would add to that refrain - most bee related problems are 
  essentially a result of bee movement by humans.
   

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