| Vanishing of the Bees | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | George Langworthy, Maryam Henein |
| Written by | Maryam Henein, George Langworthy, James Erskine |
| Cinematography | George Langworthy |
| Editing by | William Gazecki |
| Distributed by | Dogwoof Pictures |
| Release date(s) | United Kingdom October 9, 2009 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $500,000 |
Vanishing of the Bees is a 2009 documentary film by Hive Mentality Films & Hipfuel films, directed by George Langworthy and Maryam Henein and released in the United Kingdom on October 9. The story centers around the sudden disappearance of honey bees from beehives around the world, caused by the poorly understood phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD. Although the film does not draw any firm scientific conclusions as to the precise cause or causes of CCD, it does suggest a link between neonicotinoid pesticides and CCD.
The UK cinema release of the film was supported by The Co-operative Group.[1]
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The film received mixed reviews from critics, achieving a rating of 62% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10.[2] Stuart McGurk of the Sunday Times said that while the "subject is serious", and this film was "well intentioned and urgent", it was "let down by hammy narration, [and] a made-for-TV budget".[3] Philip French of the Observer called it a "serious, didactic, rather rambling documentary [that] features some good, decent people". He added that "The blame falls principally on pesticides (which began when chemical warfare techniques were switched to farming), monoculture (ie, the widespread specialisation in single crops), genetic engineering and the world's changing landscape. Governments, the film charges, are listening more closely to the producers of chemicals than to beekeepers."[4]