More Than Honey

Imhoof, Markus. More Than Honey. New York: Kino Lorber, 2012. HD, 95 min. http://www.morethanhoneyfilm.com.

Over the past 15 years, numerous colonies of bees have been decimated throughout the world, but the causes of this disaster remain unknown. Depending on the world region, 50 to 90 percent of all local bees have disappeared, and this epidemic is still spreading from beehive to beehive – all over the planet. Everywhere, the same scenario is repeated: billions of bees leave their hives, never to return. No bodies are found in the immediate surroundings, and no visible predators can be located. Scientists have found a name for the phenomenon that matches its scale, “colony collapse disorder,” and they have good reason to be worried: 80 percent of plant species require bees to be pollinated. It seems a combination of pesticides, medication, parasites, viruses and other agents are responsible for weakening bees’ immune defenses. The Apis mellifera (the honey bee) appeared on Earth 60 million years before man and is as indispensable to the economy as it is to man’s survival. Fifty years ago, Einstein had already insisted on the symbiotic relationship binding these pollen gatherers to mankind: “If bees were to disappear from the globe,” he predicted, “mankind would only have four years left to live.” (Source: Adapted from the Official Film Website)

© 2012 Senator Film Verleih GmbH. Trailer used with permission.

This film is available at the Rachel Carson Center Library (RCC, 4th floor, Leopoldstrasse 11a, 80802 Munich) for on-site viewing only. For more information, please contact library@rcc.lmu.de.

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