Listics

There’s a fungus afoot. At least that’s what the LA Times reports on the bee Collapsed Colony Disorder problem. Like all things ecological, it’s dangerous to draw conclusions about first order causes and how to address them. Naturally, once the problem of a fungus is identified, a fungicide is proposed as the solution. I would like to gently suggest that we take a look at the bleak and barren moonscapes of the fields where we grow our crops. I think we should assess the meaning that emerges from a brown landscape where nothing green can grow until we plant our genetically modified seed stocks. I think we might ask ourselves if we have created a condition where fungoid growth is natural and if it is advisable to lay down fungicide on top of herbicide where we plant our insecticide treated seeds.

The English suffix -cide denotes an act related to killing. From Latin caedere “to cut, kill, hack (at), strike”. In its wider meaning, it may also signify the destruction or dismantling of an object or concept. When attached to a word indicating an animal or plant considered to be pestilent, the combined word is frequently used to indicate a substance used to eliminate the pest in question. E.g. Pesticide, insecticide and herbicide.

With all this killing attached to our food production, is there any doubt about the root causes of the current plague of unintentional “beehive-icide?” How ironic that the agribusiness that seems to have set the stage for another problem, will now profit from the sale of fungicide as we try to solve it.

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