Something to Worry About Today

Death by caffeine?

Every time you toss your latte cup in the bin, you’re killing off humanity’s most tireless allies. New reports say that honeybees are as easily affected by caffeine as we are and will often drown in the dregs of discarded cups.

Madurai Kamaraj University’s School of Biological Sciences found that over 25,000 bees died near five coffee outlets over a 30-day period. This amounts to “nothing short of apiscide,” says The Economic Times. Most bee deaths occurred between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm, prime coffee-drinking hours.

Sad news. But even worse when you realise that three-quarters of the world’s food crops are exclusively pollinated by the insects. A major loss of bees would result in a catastrophic famine scenario. Scientists already report that bees are in danger of mass die-offs as a result of a new virus. To make things worse, an Indian university has released data that the use of mobile phones has threatened hives by disorienting the direction sensors of the nectar gatherers.

No bees, no us. Keep that in mind next time you order a cappuccino.