"The sheer volume of articles submitted by environmentalists
and their supporters seem to overwhelm the information channel....
When confronted with the data debunking their
point, they act like promoting a falsehood is acceptable if it
helps the final goal."
Great post, Rob! It’s worth hanging onto just for the list of headlines. I, too, am tired of the steady drumbeat of the gloom-and-doom stories, the sloppy studies and sloppier journalism, the FWD-FWD-FWD “Save the Bees” petitions, etc.
But what bothers me most is the number of beekeepers who have jumped onto this bandwagon. Since I edit a state newsletter, members forward me this kind of stuff all the time like it’s news.
I helped teach a beginners’ workshop this past spring, and several of the other instructors felt the need to mention the precipitous decline of the honeybee during their presentations. (One even used the infamous Einstein quote.) So I made it a point later in the proceedings to present the other side. I want new beekeepers to come into the fold for the right reasons – not to “save the bees”. I also want them to pay attention to the real threats to honeybee health – varroa and the viruses it spreads – rather than watch their bees die of neglect and then blame Monsanto, Bayer or some other bogeyman.
At a recent community event, I responded to the usual question, “Is it true the bees are dying out?” with a more upbeat storyline, and was later chided by another beekeeper who essentially argued, “Even if it’s not that bad, we should take advantage of the storyline to get them to support their local beekeepers!”
We have seen what happens to environmental groups who feel justified in fudging facts because they believe their cause is important enough that they need to get people’s attention somehow. Soon no one believes their cries of wolf even when the real lobo is at the door. We beekeepers need to know that if we spread unsubstantiated rumors that are later found to be untrue, while at the same time holding out our hands for government assistance, whatever credibility and sympathy we now enjoy will go out the window.
Eugene Makovec
Foley, Missouri
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