For the Greater Good

Everyone who paid attention in fourth grade science class knows about the bee dance. A worker honeybee uses it to inform her hive mates of the direction and distance to a rich food source. This unique and effective communication which is done in a pitch-black hive is well known. But how many persons can identify its discoverer?

Karl von Frisch was the scientist who in 1944 discovered the meaning of the dance. He was a distinguished professor at a German university. He was also of Jewish ancestry. Although he was spared many of the horrors of the holocaust, he did experience persecution because of his heritage. In 1944 his nation was embroiled in a murderous war that destroyed countless lives. In the midst of murder, economic collapse, and national ruin, Dr. Frisch made a discovery that revolutionized our understanding of these amazing insects.

The worst of the COVID-19 pandemic will (hopefully) be history by the time you read this column. As we look back at the shut downs, quarantines, sickness, and death that hit our nation, I trust we can look back and see ways our industry has progressed. Although our experience is nothing like the horrors of World War II, I can proudly say many professionals joined together for the greater good. Multiple segments of the turfgrass and landscape industries and government officials united. The legal ability of our industry to continue working, emergency changes in the requirements for pesticide testing and pesticide recertification are just three of many examples of collaboration.

Crises either unite or divide because they reveal what lurks beneath the surface. COVID-19 uncovered great people whose hidden qualities rose to the occasion. Foundations were laid and collaborations were formed that will reap benefits in the coming decades.

The amazing honeybee and its connection to war-torn Germany does not end with Dr. Frisch. In 1945, just months after the war ended, Martin Lindauer became one of his students. In the 1950’s the now Dr. Lindauer discovered how bee swarms use a dance to decide on a new home. Before he decided to study honeybees, Dr. Lindauer was drafted into the German army. He was severely wounded in 1942 and was sent back to Germany. The rest of his company continued to Stalingrad. 98% of them never returned.

Tom Tracy, Ph.D.

VTC Executive Director