By Dr. Mercola
The start of National Pollinator Week was marked by a tragic
and perhaps eerily prophetic event, as an estimated 25,000
bumblebees were found dead in an Oregon parking lot.
Over a period of several
days, multiple calls to the Oregon Department of Agriculture
reported bees and other insects falling out of 55 blooming
European linden trees near a shopping center.
The damage was so severe that Dan Hilburn, director of plant
programs at the state Agriculture Department, said:1
“I’ve never encountered anything quite like it in 30 years
in the business.”
Neonicotinoid Pesticide Is the Suspected Culprit
The 55 trees where the dead bees were found had been sprayed
with Safari, a neonicotinoid insecticide, on the same day the
first bees were reported dead. Neonicotinoids are the most
widely used pesticides in the world, and they are used on most
American crops, especially corn.
These chemicals are typically applied to seeds before
planting, allowing the pesticide to be taken up through the
plant’s vascular system as it grows. As a result, the chemical
is expressed in the pollen and nectar of the plant, and hence
the danger to bees and other pollinating insects. It states
directly on the label that these insecticides should not
be used if bees are in the area. As the Cornucopia
Institute reported:2
“Safari is part of the neonicotinoid pesticide
family. When it is sprayed on a plant, the leaves, flowers
and nectar become toxic to almost all insects. The product’s
label on the distributor’s website warns it is ‘highly
toxic’ to bees and tells applicators not to apply it ‘if
bees are visiting the area.’”
If tests show that the insecticide is responsible for the bee
deaths, the company that rents and manages the shopping center
could be guilty of violating state or federal laws related to
pesticide regulations, which can carry fines of up to $10,000.
In the meantime, the Agriculture Department installed
bee-proof nets over the trees to prevent any further bee deaths.
Unfortunately, there’s still a much larger issue at hand, which
is the ongoing use of these toxic insecticides.
How Many Bees Have to Die Before Action Is Taken Against
Neonicotinoids?
A general consensus among beekeepers is that the ongoing
honeybee die-offs are most definitely related to toxic
chemicals, and neonicotinoids in particular.
The disappearance of bee colonies began accelerating in the
US shortly after the US Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) allowed these new insecticides on the market in the
mid-2000s. In May, beekeepers and environmental groups filed a
lawsuit against the agency over its failure to protect bees
from these toxic pesticides.
Meanwhile, France has banned Imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid,
for use on corn and sunflowers after reporting large losses of
bees after exposure to it. They also rejected Bayer´s
application for the neonicotinoid Clothianidin, and other
countries, such as Italy, have banned certain neonicotinoids as
well.
The EPA acknowledges that “pesticide poisoning” may be one
factor leading to bee die-offs known as colony collapse
disorder,3
yet they have been slow to act to protect bees from this threat.
The current lawsuit may help spur them toward more urgent
action, which is desperately needed as the food supply hangs in
the balance.
There are about 100 crop species that provide 90 percent of
food globally; of these, 71 are pollinated by bees. In the US
alone, a full one-third of the food supply depends on
pollination from bees. Apple orchards, for instance, require one
colony of bees per acre to be adequately pollinated. So if bee
colonies continue to be devastated, major food shortages could
result.
More Bees Dying as Monsanto and Bayer Enter the Bee Business
Serious honeybee die-offs have been occurring around the
world for the past decade, but this year the US experienced the
highest losses of honeybee populations so far, with most of the
nation’s beekeepers losing anywhere from 50 to 90 percent of
their bee population.
Pesticide manufacturers are likely none too pleased about the
recent accusations hurled against their products, so they've
taken matters into their own hands and purchased leading bee
research firms, ostensibly to study colony collapse disorder and
other bee research.
Monsanto, which is the world leader in genetically modified
(GM) crops (and the pesticides and herbicides that go along with
them), recently bought Beeologics, a company whose primary goal
is finding a solution to the colony collapse disorder.
Bayer CropScience – a leading manufacturer of the
neonicotinoid pesticides – plans to open the North American Bee
Care Center by the end of 2013. The Center is intended to be a
research hub as well as promote "the active promotion of
bee-responsible use of Bayer products along with communication
activities worldwide."4
Can Monsanto and Bayer’s Bee Research Really Be Trusted?
Clearly, the forthcoming research from Beeologics and the
North American Bee Care Center may now be tainted with regard to
these companies' products and their impact on bee populations.
In other words, they are going to stop at nothing to make sure
their pesticides and GM crops are completely cleared of any
wrongdoing.
Already, in 2010 a study by Montana bee researcher Dr. Jerry
Bromenshenk found that CCD was not caused by pesticides but
rather a
combination of fungus and virus, found in all collapsed
colonies, may be the culprit… what was not widely reported in
the media, however, was that Dr. Bromenshenk received a
significant research grant from Bayer to study bee pollination –
a massive conflict of interest that is likely to be carried over
into any upcoming research from Bayer and Monsanto.
Further, one of the observed effects of neonicotinoids is
weakening of the bee's immune system, allowing them to fall prey
to secondary, seemingly "natural" bee infections, such as
parasites, mites, viruses, fungi and bacteria. Pathogens such as
Varroa mites, Nosema, fungal and bacterial infections, and
Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) are found in large amounts
in honeybee hives on the verge of collapse, and this allows
researchers to blame the deaths on these “natural” causes when
the insecticides were ultimately the cause.
Tips for Helping the Bees and Other Pollinators
The Pollinator Partnership, which initiated Pollinator Week,
has released many ways you can help the urgent issue of
declining pollinator populations.5
Clearly major steps need to be taken on a national level to
protect pollinators from toxic chemicals and other threats, but
you can even make a difference right in your own backyard:
- Reduce or eliminate your use of pesticides
- Plant a pollinator-friendly garden by choosing a variety
of plants that will continue flowering from spring through
fall; check out the
Bee Smart
Pollinator App for a database of nearly 1,000
pollinator-friendly plants
- Choose plants native to your region and stick with
old-fashioned varieties, which have the best blooms,
fragrance and nectar/pollen for attracting and feeding
pollinators
- Install a
bee house
- Supply water, even a dripping faucet or a suspended milk
carton with a pinhole in the bottom, for insects and animals
© Copyright 1997-2013 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.