Time's "The Plight of
the Honeybee"details the full impact of what colony collapse disorder could bring to not just honey, but many other agriculture fields (literally!) that would be severely restricted without the honeybee. The problem, though - we don't know why it's happening!
Several causes are presented: chemicals (pesticides) and parasites, two major opponents that could potentially be controlled, as well as the idea that the large-scale farming of cash crops like corn and soybeans could create a "desert" with no room for bees. In reality, though, no one has a substantial claim for what appears to be the random bee apocalypse.
In one of the last paragraphs, the author talks of researchers preparing a genetic bank for the bees, keeping the genomes which could be used to cross breed and select for a bee that wouldn't die. Although it could be regarded as a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO), it's undeniable that genetic engineering to save the fate of the honeybee is a viable solution. Using engineering to fix this problem could solve it, but could also present many more issues...what else could these genetically selected or changed bees do? Could this present moral and ethical issues?
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