The Beekeepers

Written and directed by Richard Knox Robinson, this documentary notes that “beekeepers have been keeping bees for over three thousand years,” and asks “why are [the bees] dying now?” According to Robinson, it's likely that pesticides—an offshoot of chemical warfare during World War I—have replaced the wax moth as the main enemy of honeybees and are the primary reason for what's called Colony Collapse Disorder. The Beekeepers traces the role of bees in various civilizations over the centuries (noting that many ancient religions considered bees to be sacred, while medieval churches mandated that candles be made of beeswax), pointing out their vital function in pollination (according to some estimates, one of every three bites of food we take is dependent on bees). Interviews with beekeepers and environmentalists bring the story up to date, including speculation that the winged creatures may be ecological monitors similar to the proverbial canary in the coal mine. Of course, dead canaries meant that miners stayed out of the mines because of potentially lethal conditions, but today the “coal mine” is the whole planet—which is why the mass disappearance of bees around the world is alarming. Although the film suffers somewhat from its scattershot approach, the subject matter makes it well worth watching. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Whiting)