Albert Einstein is erroneously quoted as saying, \u201cIf the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years of life left\u201d. Although nobody knows who said it first, it does indicate how important bees are.<\/p>\n
Bees are a critical part of our food cycle, but a disease is wiping out entire colonies and hives in key areas in South Africa. A R20-billion industry \u2013 of pollination, honey, and beeswax \u2013 is in danger of vanishing.<\/p>
Mike Allsopp of the Agricultural Research Council has been warning of a collapse of African bees for the past two decades. \u201cBees are more important than any other domesticated animal because they are indispensable when it comes to our food security.\u201d But, he says, nobody listened and followed through with action.<\/p>\n
Because the African bee is hardier than any other bee species and historically survived diseases, local beekeepers became complacent.<\/p>
The problem is a bacterium that causes American foulbrood disease. The bacteria are ingested by larvae in bee colonies. These grow until they kill their hosts, leaving a corpse with more than 100-million infected spores. Other bees then get infected when they come to clean the hive and spread the bacterium, which can survive for half a century and only fire kills it.<\/p>\n