One of the favorite songs around the Mr. Media homestead for the past few years is “Johnny Appleseed,” a rather pleasing pop ditty by Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros with a very serious message: “Don’t go killin’ all the bees.” I kept hearing that song in my head the entire time I watched a new documentary about the plight of the world’s honeybees directed by Taggart Siegel. Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us? has a tone that, like Strummer’s song, is also gentle, but it hits home: If industrial farming practices that may be killing bees are not reined in soon, the world will have little besides corn for crops. TAGGART SIEGEL audio excerpt: "Honey is miraculous, the first sweetness of man. You'd think we be getting down on our hands and knees and worshiping bees. We have to get more into the wonder of bees... If we save them, we're saving ourselves"  Speaking as a guy who has troubled digesting corn, that’s a frightening prospect. Queen of the Sun has attracted a big corporate sponsor: Whole Foods Market. If you’ve ever been in one of their stores, you know Whole Foods has a vested interest in supporting as wide a diversity of farming as possible. That said, I wish some more mainstream grocers such as Kroger and Publix had shown a similar interest in supporting the message of Queen of the Sun. Joining me today to talk about their film and the bees are the director, Taggart Siegel, and producer, Jon Betz. Queen of the Sun • • • •