We've heard that bees are disappearing. But what is making bee colonies so vulnerable? Photographer Anand Varma raised bees in his backyard — in front of a camera — to get an up close view. This project, for National Geographic, gives a lyrical glimpse into a beehive, and reveals one of the biggest threats to its health, a mite that preys on baby bees in their first 21 days of life. With footage set to music from Rob Moose and the Magik*Magik Orchestra, Varma shows the problem ... and what's being done to solve it. (This talk was part of a session at TED2015 guest-curated by Pop-Up Magazine: popupmagazine.com or @popupmag on Twitter.)

Anand Varma: The first 21 days of a bee's life

The first 21 days of a bee's life

A peek into an experimental breeding program aiming to cultivate mite-resistant bees, balancing resilience with desirable traits.

Exploring humanity's intricate relationship with bees, highlighting our dependence and the urgent need to safeguard their future.

Varroa destructor mites devastate bee populations by undermining their immune systems, posing a major threat to global agriculture.