During the winter of 2006-2007, honey bee keepers in the United States lost about 30 percent of their bees to colony collapse disorder.

In the winter of 2007-2008 honey bee losses rose to 35 percent.

Canadian beekeepers losses mirror those in the US.

The statistics for the winter of 2008-2009 are not yet in.

Given that honey bees are responsible for pollination that accounts for about one-third of our food supply, think one of every three bites you take, these numbers are reason for concern. Not only do honey bees pollinate many of our fruit and vegetable crops, they also pollinate food crops for dairy and beef cattle and similar food sources.

Research has suggested a variety of causes for this decline that include viruses, mites, pesticides, even the pesticide used to control mites that attack bees. Other possibilities are stress on bees from taking them from place to place to pollinate crops, insufficient nutrition -- some plant blossoms do not provide enough protein and fat to sustain honey bees — and lack of genetic diversity among bee populations.

Gardeners' increasing interest in growing their own food brings the bee situation close to home. Bees and bee pollination are vital to our vegetable gardens. Squash, pumpkins, melons and most cucumbers are all insect-pollinated and bees are the most common insect pollinators.

In addition, bees are frequently found on self- or wind-pollinated vegetables, which means they can be adversely affected by pesticides used on those vegetables.

We are beginning to comprehend the importance of the honey bee and the work it does to help sustain our world. It is a vital part of our ecosystem.

Some ecologists refer to the honey bee as a keystone species, a species without which our food supply could collapse.

The relationship between humankind and bees has been harmonious for most of recorded history. Humans have respected the honey bee, held its society up as a standard for their own behavior, and many cultures have considered the honey bee and honey itself sacred or symbolic of sacred ideas.

Across the globe, cave drawings done by prehistoric man show armed hunters searching for bee nests and collecting honey.

Bees play important roles in the creation myths of people around the world, from the San of the Kalahari Desert to the Eastern European Romanians to the Hindus.

Sometimes the fascinating aspect of the story is about the creation of bees. In Egyptian mythology, bees were created when Re wept and his tears turned into bees as they fell on the ground.

Biblical and ancient Greek references have bees "being created" out of animal carcasses.

Many cultures recognized the importance of the honey produced by the bees and used it in sacred rites.

Royalty in Egypt was buried with pots of honey, helping to sweeten their transition to the afterlife. Sacred books of Aryan India claim honey is the food of the gods and that it has life-giving properties, especially when given to newly-born male children.

The ancient Greek gods also consumed lots of honey since their followers believed that honey conferred immortality.

Ancient Romans offered honey to Proserpina, the goddess of spring, so that she would look favorably upon them and not pay a visit in the form of volcanic lava.

History is rich with references of honey as a symbol. The Old Testament of the Bible refers to paradise as a land of milk and honey. Koran readers find references to rivers of wine, milk and honey and learn that honey is a divine gift bestowed on mankind.

Honey bees, flying toward heaven, have been considered symbols of the human soul.

Bees have symbolized immortality, sexuality, chastity, fertility, purity and care.

From the time of early Christianity to today, bee society with its efficient organization and constant work has been extolled as a model for human endeavor. Who hasn't heard "A busy bee is a happy bee"?

Poetry, song and religious texts praise the virtuous bee. Newspapers from Buffalo, N.Y. to Fresno, Calif. are named Bee.

In a tradition that dates to medieval times, people have "told the bees," making sure the bees know about all important events taking place in the community and the family.

Some groups have had a designated "beespeaker" who visited apiaries to let the bees know about births, weddings and deaths, especially deaths. Some apiarists still think when a beekeeper dies someone must visit the hives, tell the bees of their previous owner's death and introduce them to their new keeper. Otherwise, they will swarm.

This practice reveals the understanding that the bees are valuable to the community and an important part of the circle of life.

"Telling the bees" establishes connections, connections between people and bees and place. If these connections are broken, the sense of community is diminished and the land's ability to produce for humans is weakened.

We might think "telling the bees" is silly, but there is a connection between "telling the bees" and the ecologist's assertion that bees are a keystone species — that the food chain could be broken without them.

For thousands of years, bees and people have been part of a chain and now that chain is in danger of being broken. What can we do?

We can learn to appreciate the important role the honey bee has in our survival. We can spread the word to others.

We can plant more flowers so bees have more nutritious food sources. We can decide that we, as consumers, will overlook a few minor imperfections on that apple peel so that farmers can get by with fewer pesticides.

We can decide that it is OK to have a few weeds because they provide food for the honey bee.

We can welcome the honey bee back into our yards and our gardens.