By Dr. Mercola
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has failed to
protect bees from neonicotinoid pesticides, according to a
lawsuit against the agency, filed by beekeepers and
environmental groups. Said Paul Towers, spokesperson for the
Pesticide Action Network (PAN), one of the groups involved in
the lawsuit:
“Despite our best efforts to warn the agency about
the problems posed by neonicotinoids, the EPA continued to
ignore the clear warning signs of an ag system in trouble.”
Lawsuit Maintains the Link Between Neonicotinoids and Bee Die
Off Is ‘Crystal Clear’
Neonicotinoid pesticides are a newer class of chemicals that
are applied to seeds before planting. This allows the pesticide
to be taken up through the plant’s vascular system as it grows,
where it is expressed in the pollen and nectar.
These insecticides are highly toxic to bees because they are
systemic, water soluble, and pervasive. They get into the soil
and groundwater where they can accumulate and remain for many
years and present long-term toxicity to the hive as well as to
other species, such as songbirds.
Neonicotinoids affect insects' central nervous systems in
ways that are cumulative and irreversible. Even minute amounts
can have profound effects over time.
The disappearance of bee colonies began accelerating in the
United States shortly after the EPA allowed these new
insecticides on the market in the mid-2000s. The lawsuit alleges
that the EPA allowed the neonicotinoids to remain on the market
despite clear warning signs of a problem.
It also alleges the EPA acted outside of the law by allowing
conditional registration of the pesticides, a measure that
allows a product to enter the market despite the absence of
certain data.
European Food Safety Authority Ruled Neonicotinoids
‘Unacceptable’
The EPA’s continued allowance of neonicotinoids becomes all
the more irresponsible in light of recent findings by other
government organizations. Earlier this year, for instance, the
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) released a report that
ruled neonicotinoid insecticides are essentially “unacceptable”
for many crops.1
The European Commission asked EFSA to assess the risks
associated with the use of three common neonicotinoids –
clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam – with particular
focus on:
- Their acute and chronic effects on bee colony survival
and development
- Their effects on bee larvae and bee behavior
- The risks posed by sub-lethal doses of the three
chemicals
One of the glaring issues that EFSA came across was a
widespread lack of information, with scientists noting
that in some cases gaps in data made it impossible to conduct an
accurate risk assessment. Still, what they did find was “a
number of risks posed to bees” by the three neonicotinoid
insecticides. The Authority found that when it comes to
neonicotinoid exposure from residues in nectar and pollen in the
flowers of treated plants:2
“...only uses on crops not attractive to honeybees
were considered acceptable.”
As for exposure from dust produced during the sowing of
treated seeds, the Authority ruled “a risk to honeybees was
indicated or could not be excluded...” Unfortunately,
neonicotinoids have become the fastest growing insecticides in
the world. In the US, virtually all
genetically engineered Bt corn crops are treated with
neonicotinoids.
Serious Risks to Bees Already Established
One of the observed effects of these insecticides is
weakening of the bee's immune system. Forager bees bring
pesticide-laden pollen back to the hive, where it's consumed by
all of the bees.
Six months later, their immune systems fail, and they 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.
Serious honeybee die-offs have been occurring around the
world for the past decade but no one knows exactly why the bees
are disappearing.
The phenomenon, dubbed Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), is
thought to be caused by a variety of imbalances in the
environment, although agricultural practices such as the use of
neonicotinoid pesticides are receiving growing attention as more
research comes in. As written in the journal Nature:3
"Social bee colonies depend on the collective
performance of many individual workers. Thus, although
field-level pesticide concentrations can have subtle or
sublethal effects at the individual level, it is not known
whether bee societies can buffer such effects or whether it
results in a severe cumulative effect at the colony level.
Furthermore, widespread agricultural intensification means
that bees are exposed to numerous pesticides when foraging,
yet the possible combinatorial effects of pesticide exposure
have rarely been investigated."
This is what the Nature study set out to determine,
and it was revealed that bees given access to neonicotinoid and
pyrethroid pesticides were adversely affected in numerous ways,
including:
- Fewer adult worker bees emerged from larvae
- A higher proportion of foragers failed to return to the
nest
- A higher death rate among worker bees
- An increased likelihood of colony failure
The researchers said:
"Here we show that chronic exposure of bumble bees to
two pesticides (neonicotinoid and pyrethroid) at
concentrations that could approximate field-level exposure
impairs natural foraging behavior and increases worker
mortality leading to significant reductions in brood
development and colony success.
We found that worker foraging performance,
particularly pollen collecting efficiency, was significantly
reduced with observed knock-on effects for forager
recruitment, worker losses and overall worker productivity.
Moreover, we provide evidence that combinatorial exposure to
pesticides increases the propensity of colonies to fail."
Why the Food Supply Could Be Dependent on Urgent Action by the
EPA
The EPA acknowledges that “pesticide poisoning” may be one
factor leading to colony collapse disorder,4
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.5
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.
There is also concern that the pesticides could be impacting
other pollinators as well, including bumblebees, hoverflies,
butterflies, moths and others, which could further impact the
environment.
Four Steps to Help Protect the Bees
If you would like to learn more about the economic, political
and ecological implications of the worldwide disappearance of
the honeybee, check out the documentary film
Vanishing of the Bees. If you’d like to get
involved, here are four actions you can take to help preserve
and protect our honeybees:
- Support organic farmers and shop at local farmer's
markets as often as possible. You can "vote with your fork"
three times a day. (When you buy organic, you are making a
statement by saying "no" to GMOs and toxic pesticides!)
- Cut the use of toxic chemicals in your house and on your
lawn, and use only organic, all-natural forms of pest
control.
- Better yet, get rid of your lawn altogether and plant a
garden or other natural habitat. Lawns offer very little
benefit for the environment. Both flower and vegetable
gardens provide excellent natural honeybee habitats.
- Become an amateur beekeeper. Having a hive in your
garden requires only about an hour of your time per week,
benefits your local ecosystem, and you can enjoy your own
honey!
© Copyright 1997-2013 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.