What was the context behind Einstein's statement on the disappearance of the honey bees?

Question

Albert Einstein made a shocking statement to the world that if honey bees die/disappear off the surface of the globe, then man only has 4 years of life left on Earth. Whether his statement becomes true or not, honey bees are disappearing on a global mass scale.

Einstein just didn't make an off-the-cuff remark about the disappearance of honey bees. Was he carrying out some sort of a study or experiment on honey bees? Was Einstein making a prediction? What lead Einstein to make such a conclusion?

I want to see a special 60-minute video on Einstein's statement on the disappearance of the honey bees. A good reliable source is appreciated. Thank you.

Answer 1

HE didn't say it.....



http://www.snopes.com/quotes/einstein/bees.asp



Wiki agrees...



http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Einstein



near the bottom of the page....

Answer 2

Honey bees pollinate approx. 1/3 of our food crops and are themselves an integral part of the food chain.



In addition, anything that can kill billions of bees is likely to have significant adverse affects on many other species.



So:

No honeybees = 1/3 less food

1/3 less food = mass starvation and, more crucially, more conflict (food wars)



In the meantime, species that eat bees or honey are dying out or reducing e.g.

Insects such as: Robber Flies, Dragonflies, Asian giant hornet, Yellowjackets

Various spiders, frogs and toads

Birds such as: Bee-eaters, Ruby-throated hummingbird, Great Crested flycatcher, Common Grackle

Mammals such as: Skunks, Raccoons & Bears



And species that live off the plants that the bees pollinated and/or the species that ate bees or honey (e.g. above) also die out.



Humans are part of this ecosystem - as goes the ecosystem, so goes man.



Einstein was making an off the cuff prediction / deliberately being shocking when he said four years but the premise is sound.

Answer 3

Einstein didn't say that. He was a scientist, not an actor or singer. As a scientist, he didn't pretend to be an expert on matters outside his field.

And it isn't true. There were no honeybees in the Americas until the Europeans introduced them. The Native Americans got along fine without them.

Answer 4

Has to do with the food chain. no pollinaton, no food. It is the way plants reproduce. If the plants don't reproduce, there will be a lack of food.