Episode 5

California’s Central Valley produces 81% of the world’s annual almond harvest.

There’s a problem though - the method of harvesting eliminates bees from the orchards.

Bees are like oxygen - ubiquitous, essential and, for the most part, unseen. While we might overlook them, they lie at the heart of relationships that bind the human and natural worlds. Dr Thor Hanson concludes the journey that began 125 million years ago, when a wasp first dared to feed pollen to its young.

From honeybees and bumbles to lesser-known diggers, miners, leafcutters, and masons, bees have long been central to our harvests, our mythologies, and our very existence. They have given us sweetness and light, the beauty of flowers and as much as a third of the foodstuffs we eat. And, alarmingly, they are at risk of disappearing.

Concluded by Elliot Levey.

Abridged by Polly Coles.

Producer: Clive Brill

A Brill production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2018.