Vanishing of the Bees

Vanishing of the Bees
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	George Langworthy, Maryam Henein
Produced by	Executive produced by Holly Mosher, James Erskine, and Peter J. Heller
Written by	Maryam Henein, George Langworthy, James Erskine
Music by	Stars of the Lid
Cinematography	George Langworthy
Edited by	William Gazecki
Distributed by	Dogwoof Pictures
Release date	9 October 2009 (2009-10-09)
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 in October 2009. The story is centered on 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.

The film received mixed reviews from critics, achieving a rating of 62 percent on Rotten Tomatoes based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10. 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". 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."