The Fable of the Bees

I've noted, often quite obsessively, the progress of colony collapse disorder and the way bees are dying off. This is really more than a minor catastrophe, though it may not be as much of a disaster as Einstein may have predicted. It may be simply that the growing stock of honeybees is slower than demand, but that this situation will rectify itself and Thomas Malthus will be proven wrong yet again.

Now, however, it seems to be showing up the different aspects of human nature. Some people have taken to volunteering to set up bee colonies; others have taken to stealing successful ones.

Meanwhile, I am noticing (and this is necessarily an anecdote) loads of people with hayfever, pollen-allergic reactions, and sniffles. Are they connected to the loss of the bees, and their effect on pollen? I think that that question almost certainly reveals my comical ignorance, since most hayfever comes from grass and not flowers, but I'd be grateful for any sensible comments.