The loss of bee populations are a huge threat to the human race.
There is another (in my opinion, greater) threat to the human race and that is bio-engineered produce. If humans didn't err, it would not be a big deal, because the Science is pretty damned incredible, but the fact is they do err and these seeds have gone astray.
Each issue is a potential cause for the very same effect: Failure of commercial vegetable crops.
From our perspective over here, honey bees are not indigenous to the U.S., but the crops we grow here for food are also not indigenous, and many of them do require bees for pollination. The chemicals used in the production of these crops kill the bees, so there is a basic lesson in Ecology and what happens when one of the systems is broken.
Messing with genomes is messing with Ecology as well - and when Corn plants specifically bio-engineered to grow high yields only with the presence of significant fertilizers and pesticides start interbreeding with heirloom selections that do well just on the natural soils anyone should be able to guess the logical conclusion - and it's already started to happen.
There are quite a few companies in multiple countries doing research and work with molecular genetics, but we all know who the big bully on the international neighborhood is: Monsanto. They were just voted the most evil corporation for 2010 recently on a natural health website.
If you find yourself having some time, I suggest you watch this video (about Monsanto):
http://www.truththeory.org/the-world-according-to-monsanto/As for the bees, well this has been a serious problem for some time -
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070422190612.htm
...and it has been theorized that the problem was pesticides all along - As typical, corporations deny it so they can continue to sell their poisons to the farmers so they will "need" it. There was a show regarding the bee populations on 60 minutes a few years ago - and one commercial beekeeper comes to mind since he was on the show... Such a pity.MEANWHILE, Another problem with honeybees is building - and in this case it's Africanized honey bees - their populations are growing like crazy in the Southwestern portions of the U.S. They produce a great deal more honey than the European varieties, but the cost is a significantly more aggressive hive that will sting an intruder until it runs a long distance away from the hive or it dies. These are nothing to mess with. This is yet another man-made problem with humans continuing to muck with mother nature.
There are so many problems with the Ecology out there (mostly due to the introduction of non-indigenous species), it would shock the average layperson to understand just how fucked up the system is.
Hitoru knows, Michael knows and I know - I'm sure there are others that know too, but I would expect it is hard to understand the extent of how many problems humans are creating for themselves through ignorance and/or greed unless it's your business to know about such things.
It's a shame - but the growing human population problem will self-check soon through (mostly) these causes in my opinion.
Enjoy it while you got it!
Life is short. Eat, Drink & Be Merry!