I think the first question is "the plight of the Honey Bee" is real or a 
made-up crisis.

I would answer the latter.  Honey bees have been around for millions of 
years, apparently, and have adapted to many different threats over that 
time.  They seem to be adapting just fine right now although maybe not 
as quickly as we might wish.  Worldwide and on the whole, I'd say that 
honey bees are doing just as well as ever.

The current 'crisis' has more to do with the the plight of the North 
American beekeeper than it has to do with the state of the honey bees 
themselves worldwide.

The economics of US beekeeping were very bad over a recent decade. New 
and unfamiliar pests required changes to bee management and increased 
expense and risk at a time when currency manipulation kept honey prices 
low.  Encroaching civilization reduced available yards, and increased 
regulations of various sorts made operating more difficult.  Labourers 
expectations changed, too, with increased urbanization, potential 
employees began to expect shorter hours, weekends off, and proved 
unwilling to travel or get dirty.  The paper burden increased to the 
point where many commercial beekeepers had to spend more time at their 
desks than with their bees.

All was not bad, however, better trucks and loaders, better roads and 
improved communication, along with replacement of the dangerous 
insecticides of the past with better targeted and more benign 
substitutes compensated somewhat for the negative factors.

I'd first re-examine the proposition that the honey bee is in fact 
facing a plight worldwide before going too far into the project.

Perhaps proving the exact opposite would be a more meaningful and useful 
project.

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