In 2006, a number of commercial beekeepers began reporting a strange phenomenon in which their insects were suddenly dying off, with some large-scale keepers losing between 60 and 90 percent of their hives. As the death of bees began to spread worldwide, entomologists dubbed the epidemic Colony Collapse Disorder, but initially few could hazard a guess as to what caused it or how it could be stopped. While many laymen failed to see Colony Collapse Disorder as more than a tough break for the honey industry, in time people began to understand the severity of the situation -- bees play a vital role in pollinating many crops, and without them the growth of many staples could come to a standstill. Filmmaker Jeremy Simmons explores the consequences of Colony Collapse Disorder in the documentary The Last Beekeeper, in which he profiles three major commercial beekeepers from different parts of the United States as they struggle to keep their hives healthy and ponder the possible impact of bee extinction on the agricultural industry -- and the world's food supply. The Last Beekeeper was an official selection at the 2009 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi