torrent of media stories from 2013-2014 presented frightening tales of "unprecedented" colony collapse disorder (CCD) among honeybees, conjuring up visions of a "bee-pocalypse" and "a world without bees," a world in which flowers and agriculture would be decimated.
Many articles blamed neonicotinoid pesticides, while others added climate change and biotech (GMO) crops as likely culprits. Some mentioned Varroa destructor mites and various viruses and diseases as possible causes. Virtually none suggested that organic food industry chemicals could also be implicated in bee deaths. The overall tone was "deep concern," bordering on hysteria. But it sold papers and air time.
