The case of the disappearing bees is serious enough that even the ice cream experts are now weighing in on the issue.

The makers of Haagen-Dazs have warned that the vanishing of honeybee colonies in the U.S. may threaten the future of their business. Haagen-Dazs does not rely on those unnatural-tasting artificial sweeteners found in many common store brands of ice cream. Instead real fruit and nuts such as strawberries and pecans are infused into their products, and these are just examples of some of the ingredients they use that require bee pollination. In fact, nearly of the company's 60 flavors depend on the insects.

"These are among consumers' favorite flavors," said Katty Pien, brand director with Haagen-Dazs. "We use 100% all natural ingredients like strawberries, raspberries and almonds which we get from California. The bee problem could badly hurt supply from the Pacific Northwest," Pien said. "We have to ensure that we have enough supply to maintain our variety," she said.

So serious is Haagen-Dazs that this spring they will launch a new flavor, Vanilla Honey Bee, and the sales will help the plight of the bees.

You definitely can't call these efforts selfless ones. Obviously the folks over at Haagen-Dazs are starting to sweat a little as a key component in the success of their business quite literally disappears. However I can honestly say that if the honeybee issue persists and worsens, I think my greater concern will be for the implications of a global food supply in danger and the possible catastrophe that would ensue - not the sudden unavailibility of Vanilla Swiss Almond ice cream.

» CNN Money