Most scientists now agree that the main causes of colony collapse disorder are nutritional stress, pathogens (mites, viruses and fungus), and pesticides. Two recent studies published in Science strengthen the case that a relatively new class of systemic insecticides entitled ‘neonicotinoid pesticides’ are indeed key drivers behind recent pollinator decline.
Read the whole article by Annie Spiegelman at the Huffington Post.
A new Earth Focus documentary featuring an interview with Tom Theobald.
Killing Bees: Are Government and Industry Responsible?
Honey bees, the essential pollinators of many major US crops, have been dying off in massive numbers since 2006. This threatens the American agricultural system and the one in twelve American jobs that depends on it. There is growing evidence that a new class of pesticides — nerve toxins called neonicotinoids, which are used on most US crops including almost all corn — may be toxic to bees. The Environmental Protection Agency allowed neonicotinoids on the market without adequate tests to determine their toxicity to bees. Environmentalists want neonicotinoids banned until needed safety tests are done. While the US government is slow to act and neonicotinoid sales reap billions for the chemical industry, bees continue to die.
Pesticides used on treated corn seeds “may” have contributed to “at least some of the 2012 spring bee losses that occurred in Ontario,” Health Canada has told Better Farming via email.
The email, from Health Canada media relations officer Sara O’Dacre, says other factors are being considered and that “final conclusions” have not been made.
… And the moon “may” not be made of green cheese. More study needed. Everyone but us is terrified that they might make a declarative statement and rouse the chemical industry giant.
Just out in the GMO Journal:
As far as the connection between clothianidin and the colony collapse disorder, the EPA, in a move that felt like a slap across the face to many beekeepers, said that it “is not aware of any data that demonstrate that exposure to clothanidin results in effects on honey bee colonies consistent with those associated with CCD.” The EPA’s analysis of studies found that some tests were performed in the lab and not in the field, where the EPA thinks concentration levels would be less than what the lab experiments provided. Furthermore, the EPA took issue with the studies being done on another neocotinoid pesticide, imidacloprid, which is a predecessor to clothianidin.
Lastly, the EPA found that the incident report data submitted by petitioners was insufficient to point the finger at clothianidin as the cause of CCD. The agency explained away the German and Slovenian incidents as being related to “unusually” dry weather conditions and possible improper use of clothianidin and said that, despite the 9 years of its use, the role of this systemic pesticide has not been clearly established.
Astonishingly, the EPA said that “the information available on incidents does not indicate that clothianidin use is resulting in the loss of large numbers of honey bee colonies in the U.S. The available information instead seems to indicate that the seed treatment use pattern may result in some sporadic incidents affecting individual bees (in some cases, many bees), but there has not been widespread colony or population losses that would indicate the potential for serious harm.”
I did an interview with Deniza Gertsberg of the GMO Journal last Monday and there should be an article appearing this week. Deniza has done articles in the past where she has interviewed me, but it has been a while. Anyway, I went back to the GMO Journal site just to refresh my memory and was impressed by the quality of the writing on many articles. While they focus on GMOs they are pertinent to what we are seeing in the pesticide arena because systemics are the Siamese Twin to GMOs. Start with Myth of Independent Science Haunts Biotech Industry and then follow your interests.
Founding member Tom Theobald speaks out about the EPA and clothianidin
> Read more at Tom’s Corner
