Vanishing of the Bees: A Preview
As the bee population crisis has shuffled into the consciousness of Californians in recent years, a captivating film screening makes its way to Santa Monica College with prevalent timing. On Tuesday evening, Sept. 25th, Vanishing of the Bees - a documentary directed by Markus Imhoof - will be shown at the Center for Media and Design Campus. Contributing producer and director, George Langworthy, will be in attendance to deliver a Q&A session with the audience following the film.
The mystery that this film tackles is quite complex. Bees have been noticeably disappearing for years on end, and there are a number of reasons suspected why. VanishingBees.com says “this documentary examines the alarming disappearance of honeybees and the greater meaning it holds about the relationship between mankind and mother earth.” One aspect that the film delves into is CCD itself, and the affects of this phenomenon throughout the world. By following the pursuit of two commercial bee keepers, Vanishing of the Bees presents the struggle that lives within the mission to save the honeybees.
Over the years since it premiered, Vanishing of the Bees has gathered the attention of a number of people and brought to light an issue that has been occurring for over a decade. Langworthy’s visit to SMC offers a unique opportunity to discuss the relevance of this documentary in today’s society, and see how this issue has developed since the original release of the film in 2009.
Beekeepers in the U.S. were beginning to report findings of Colony Collapse Disorder, also known as CCD, among honeybees in the winter of 2006/2007, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since then, the USDA has created a CCD Steering Committee in partnership with the EPA to determine the cause of this disappearance. The EPA’s role in this initiative is to assist in research regarding CCD while maintaining their "longstanding regulatory requirements for pesticides [that] are designed to protect beneficial insects such as bees.”
Since the implementation of this program, the quantities of bee losses have been surveyed each season, and it seems that the public has taken notice of the increasing losses. Here in Los Angeles, an organization called HoneyLove, started in 2013, is passionately supporting action across urban communities to protect the health and wellbeing of honeybees. HoneyLove gathered in an effort to sprout awareness of bee knowledge in the city of LA, and head of the non-profit’s Public Affairs is none other than SMC’s before-mentioned guest, George Langworthy.
The screening event of Vanishing of the Bees begins at 6:30 PM, be sure to arrive early to grab your seat.