Supermarket Without Bees

Between Colony Collapse Disorder, declining genetic diversity, loss of crop diversity, and exposure to pesticides, these are tough times for honeybees. North American honeybee populations are declining at a rate of around 30 percent per year, and the British Beekeepers Association said more than a third of colonies died in England this past winter.

That means trouble for our food supply. One out of every three bites of food is pollinated by bees and other pollinators.

So what would a supermarket without bees look like? At a Whole Foods location in Rhode Island, that question was answered with this incredible data visualization. It turns out that if honeybees went extinct, Whole Foods would lose 237 of the 453 products in its produce section. Here's a snapshot of what we would lose: apples, onions, avocados, carrots, mangoes, lemons, limes, honeydew, cantaloupe, zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, cucumbers, green onions, cauliflower, leeks, bok choy, kale, broccoli, broccoli rabe, mustard greens. In other words, lots.

Scary stuff. Read this to see how you can help.

[via SHFT]