# EPA memo shows cause of bee die off



## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

Apparently the EPA let nicotinoid based pesticides that were known to be harmful to bees be marketed knowing full well of the nerve damage it caused in the bees.
The pesticide is used to coat the seeds adn then runs through the whole plant as it grows, including pollen. It is stored and then fed to the larvae, which kills them and fed to the queen in royal jelly and causes her to stop laying eggs. There are not enough bees to get the hive through the winter.

Very interesting article.

http://www.alternet.org/food/149150...on_mysterious_bee_die-offs_and_who's_to_blame


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

Thank you


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## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

VERY interesting!!! Wonder how this affects US as we also consume an end product of these plants!!! Hummmmm... 

I also wonder if there are seeds available WITHOUT this chemical on them!

AND how long it will take for bees to recover from this. IF this chemical would be outlawed, would bees go back to lower die off within a year?


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

I would think that it is an easily reversible problem.
No pesticide, no nerve damage.
European countries have banned it and I would love to see us do the same (yeah right)


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

EPA would never allow anything harmful on its watch.
Article must be flawed.
Shame on y'all.


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

Forerunner said:


> EPA would never allow anything harmful on its watch.
> Article must be flawed.
> Shame on y'all.


Quick! Call 911. Forerunner's had a stroke.:help:


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

I thought you might appreciate a little extreme sarcasm.


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

I'll post a reply as soon as the shock wears off!!

Are they completely insane?!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

They have an agenda.....and that only includes legitimate environmental protection when the public is watching.


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## greif (May 31, 2009)

depends what party is in power, one is pro enviroment one is kill the little people and their planet


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## Durandal (Aug 19, 2007)

I think the issue here is proper filing for registration of product. To date there is zero peer reviewed data to suggest that CCD is caused by neonics.

I think that it is also important to note that the major seed crops for the Canola are in Canada and have a large amount of bees on them to assure good pollination and seed crop for commercial sale. I think you would see massive die offs if this were TRULY the case.

Canadian beekeepers have NOT seen the losses we have in the US.

Now, I am not defending Bayer but this article does nothing to prove anything.

I grow most of crops organically and I am a huge proponent of moving from back to back cash crops and developing a better ag system that is more sustainable, but people seem to forget just how bad pesticides were 20 or 30 years ago. There are areas around us that I refuse to keep bees in because there are major sweet corn plots and these are sprayed every four days...no GMO or neonic involved there...same with fruit and vine crops like melons. Death for bees.


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## Durandal (Aug 19, 2007)

Now, in the 2010 Colony Collapse Disorder Progress Report put out by the USDA that I have linked to in the in the CCD thread of this forum.

Some interesting cuts from the report.



> Studies continue to demonstrate very high levels of pathogens in CCD-affected samples and lower pathogen levels in non-affected samples, consistent with the empirical observation that healthy honey bee colonies normally fend off pathogens. These observations have led to the hypothesis that bee declines are resulting from immune suppression. A large survey of healthy and CCD-affected colonies also revealed elevated levels of pesticides in wax and pollen, but the amounts of pesticides were similar in both failing and healthy colonies.





> CAP-funded studies also identified sub-lethal effects of neonicotinoids2 and fungicides on bees. It is hypothesized that these pesticides impair the beeâs immune system, which leaves the bee more susceptible to three important bee viruses. Future experiments are needed to test these hypotheses and conclusively identify mechanisms of immune response, as well as how these interactions might affect mortality and colony health.





> Separate research has independently demonstrated synergistic effects between various pesticides and pathogens. A study by Pennsylvania State University scientists, funded by the National Honey Board, identified potential interactions among numerous pests, pathogens, and pesticides. Scientists also found that one fungicide (chlorothalonil) was linked with âentombingâ behavior in bees (a defensive behavior associated with poor health) and had particularly detrimental effects. Studies are ongoing, and as more light is shed on the latent effects of these sub-lethal and synergistic factors, strategies to mitigate these effects may evolve along with the development of management strategies for beekeepers to protect their bees.


Chlorothalonil is predominately used on commercial peanuts, potatoes, and tomatoes, but is used on a broad spectrum of commercial crops from lettuce to oranges.



> Worker bees exhibited up to a fourfold increase in nosema levels when they originated from colonies that had been fed imidacloprid indicating a subtle sub-lethal interaction between pesticides and pathogens. This research has been submitted for publication and similar findings have recently been published from a study in France in Environmental Microbiology, 2009.


Overall the report has a couple smoking guns but there is a lot of research to still be done.


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## Heritagefarm (Feb 21, 2010)

chickenista said:


> Apparently the EPA let nicotinoid based pesticides that were known to be harmful to bees be marketed knowing full well of the nerve damage it caused in the bees.


Hmph. Typical of the government. They do this with everything.


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## stormwalker (Oct 27, 2004)

My parcel of land is such a small island!


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## FarmerGreen (Dec 11, 2007)

I saw this article that states that some European countries have banned these chemicals and their bee colonies have stopped collapsing. Italy in particular.

http://www.fastcompany.com/1709815/...a-bee-killing-pesticide-to-stay-on-the-market


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## Durandal (Aug 19, 2007)

Yet in Countries that banned it out right (France and Germany) still suffered losses and countries that do not have large amounts neonic treated crops were still suffering losses (France and Greece).

The article you linked to cited the article by the online magazine Treehugger as its source of information for the Italian study. The article in Tree Hugger Magazine cited no study but a comment by an Italian beekeeper/researcher...no paper no study.

Neonics MAY be a part of the puzzle, so might cold wet weather and poor quality proteins in their diet.

We have beekeepers surrounded by neonic treated crops (I am thinking both corn and canola in Canada) without witnessing collapse.

Again, neonics MAY be a cause...or one of them. I'll argue that our massive reliance on monocrops is the true killer here, forcing us to rely on a commercial bee program that is not sustainable.

Take away neonics right now without a suitable replacement and you go back to a even deadlier cocktail of pesticides.


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