Bee Spell

A recent report by the National Research Council, a nonprofit science advisory group, decried the falloff in professional beekeeping. "Despite its apparent lack of marquee appeal," the report stated, "a decline in pollinator populations is one form of global change that actually has credible potential to alter the shape and structure of terrestrial ecosystems."

Genpzel put it another way: "If the bees all die, you're going to be eatin' nothin'. What's going to happen when we don't grow our own food? We're going to be cutting off our noses to spite our faces."

Gerry Hayes, head of the apiary bureau at the Florida Department of Agriculture, agrees, saying a potential economic disaster is in the works. If bee pollination ends, there won't be much local crop. Low domestic output equals high dependence on foreign imports. "Do we want to get our butts in a bind like we have with oil?" he says.

Africanized "killer bees" haven't brightened the outlook. Recent hype included an incident this past January when firefighters killed about 30,000 bees in Arch Creek Park, near Biscayne Boulevard and NE 135th Street. The insects were incorrectly thought to be Africanized. "Once they get mad, people call 'em African," Del Signore shrugs. He avoids the whole issue by buying his new queen bees mail order from Hawaii, an island untouched by the species.

And there are hurricanes and flooding. You can't do much to remove the bees from harm's way, though. "You just hope you don't lose too much," Del Signore says.

He doesn't have any kids, and he isn't sure what the future holds for his bees. But for now nothing will change, he says. "I'm too old to do anything else."