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Bee Die-Off Threatens Dinner, Dessert

Posted Feb 18, 08 9:02 PM CST in Science & Health 

(Newser) – The ongoing mystery of the diminishing honeybee population is threatening an important part of the American diet: ice cream. Bee colonies have been disappearing at a rapid rate, potentially causing problems with supplies of vegetables as well as fruit and nuts, which Haagen Dazs says may keep it from offering a full variety of flavors.

One-third of America’s food depends in some way on pollination by bees, CNN Money reports, and Haagen-Dazs says bees play a part in about 40% of its 60 flavors. “The bee problem could badly hurt supply from the Pacific Northwest," said the firm’s brand director, and if there's no progress, the company may have to "re-examine the flavors that we currently offer our customers."

Source CNN

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A bumble bee gathers pollen, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2007, on a sunflower at Quail Run Farm in Grants Pass, Ore., where farmer Tony Davis depends on them to pollinate crops. Amid the rising concern that honey...   (Associated Press)
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Haagen-Dazs is voicing concern about the diminishing bee population, which would cause fewer fruits to pollinated, and thereby, fewer flavors produced by the popular ice cream company.   (Getty Images)
Haagen-Dazs is voicing concern about the diminishing bee population, which would cause fewer fruits to pollinated, and thereby, fewer flavors produced by the popular ice cream company.   (shutterstock.com)
Haagen-Dazs is voicing concern about the diminishing bee population, which would cause fewer fruits to pollinated, and thereby, fewer flavors produced by the popular ice cream company.   (Wikipedia Commons )
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