Curation + Inspiration

Einstein famously suggested that “if the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, man would have only four years to live.”

Yikes!

Considering that the average number of US bee colonies failing to survive the winter has risen from an average of 10% a year to over 30% a year, you can imagine why scientists are becoming concerned.

And this Colony Collapse Disorder isn’t just a problem that’s confined to the US.

Latin America, Asia and Europe have also been hit hard and we homo sapiens are likely to feel the hit soon since the U.N. reports that “of the 100 crop species that provide 90% of the world’s food, over 70 are pollinated by bees.”

Unfortunately, no one seems to have one solitary answer for why honeybees are dying off en masse, but two new documentaries do make an effort to explore the issue. (They also help to explain why I spent 20 minutes yesterday gently shooing a huge honeybee out of my apartment and back into the wilds of Los Angeles rather than quickening its demise with a well-placed slap or blast of bug spray.)

Vanishing Bees is narrated by the actress Ellen Page and follows two beekeepers as they struggle in a quest to protest their precious honeybees.  Queen of the Sun has been called “the feel-good advocacy movie of the year” and  “a honey of a documentary” and is playing in select cities now.

I bring you this info today because National Pollinator’s Week ended yesterday. Yes, that’s right. This issue is so serious that five years ago the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the designation of the last week in June to be National Pollinator’s Week to help focus attention on these declining pollinator populations. (And yes, I readily admit that this post would have been waaay more timely last Monday, but I felt sharing it with you today was better late than never.)

So with summer reruns at full throttle, I invite you to watch these documentaries and learn more about the plight of the bumblebee and I definitely encourage you to think twice before you decide to harm any of our pollinating partners.

In fact, with marigold and lemon having their own moment in fashion, you’d even be well within your fashion rights to don the honeybee’s colors with something like today’s VPOD.

This vintage 1980s dress by Gina Baconni packs a bold style bunch with its black brush stroke print and its obi belt.

And it’s a very buzz-worthy find for a vintage fashionista!

Available at Black Rose Vintage.

(Bee Image Credit: C.A. Mulhaupt on Flickr | To receive the VPOD via email along with detailed size, price and purchase information, sign up for my growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)