Still pollinating (Image: Sipa Press/Rex Features)

A MOVIE called Vanishing of the Bees opened in cinemas across the UK earlier this month. It’s a feature-length documentary about the “mysterious collapse” of the honeybee population across the planet – a phenomenon that has recently attracted a great deal of attention and hand-wringing.

The idea that bees are disappearing for reasons unknown has embedded itself in the public consciousness. It is also a great story that taps into the anxieties of our age. But is it true? We think not, at least not yet.

First, the basics. Pollination by bees and other animals …