In laboratory studies, the active component of honeybee venom rapidly killed two types of breast cancer cells that are particularly difficult to treat. Crucially, the toxin left healthy cells unharmed.
In late 2006, the worker bees that make hives run simply disappeared. Over the past couple of years, nearly 1/3 of all honeybee colonies have collapsed this way, which led to a straightforward name for the phenomenon: colony collapse disorder (CCD).
Rowen Jacobsen, लेखक of “Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis,” discusses how honeybee health is linked to the health of the entire environment.