Colony

Colony

Lauren Kirk

When I read the blurb for the film colony I was intrigued. I had heard about a shortage of honeybees in passing but never paid much attention to it or how it could possibly affect me. Or anyone else for that matter. I think a lot of times society has been preconditioned to think only about what is in front of them and not what came before it. This is what colony pointed out to me. By focusing on the beekeepers the documentary showed that colony collapse (the name for the disappearance of bees from their hives) can ruin not only the livelihood of the keepers, but also damage crops and affect our food supply and prices. A group of beekeepers are asked to meet with Bayer to discuss research on their pesticides to determine what can be done to try to thwart these disappearances of so many hives.

Pesticides may not be solely responsible for colony collapse; it could be a virus or just a natural cycle for these honeybees. The problem is, scientists and novices alike, cannot find a cause or an explanation. Seeing families argue over broken contracts and seeing empty hive upon empty hive was a bit unsettling. As was the tired faces of these men who have been doing this their whole lives that have no answers as to why this is happening to their bees. Also, seeing the amount of pesticides sprayed on crops, with piles of empty jugs tied to a rope after spraying really grossed me out. An uplifting fact is that Bayer is working and meeting with beekeepers to see what can be done and hopefully they will make some changes. Agriculture is a fascinating field and we all, myself included, need to stop and thing about what the back story is to the food we eat and where it comes from. Bees are smart and devoted to their cause and so many crops depend on them to survive and thrive. Hopefully, scientists will find the cause of colony collapse and a way to combat it.