The continued mysterious death of honeybees, (36% loss of all colonies in the US this year alone) is now being linked to pesticides.
There are also typically suspicious shenanigans from the EPA involved:
So why did the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2002 grant an "emergency" exemption allowing increased use of Gaucho -- typically invoked during a major infestation -- when only a few beetles were found in blueberries? Why did the agency also grant a "conditional" registration for its close relative, Pancho, allowing the chemical on the market with only partial testing? And why is the agency, hiding behind a curtain of "trade secrets," still refusing to disclose whether the additional tests required of companies in such cases were conducted and, if so, with what results?
says the LA Times article.
[UPDATE: I must accept the scolding in the comments and say up front that I do not think that this article is the end of the story. I just find this issue intriguing and this poped up in my regular reading material. Links to better sources on CCD are greatly appreciated!]
- Log in to post comments
More like this
Weâve written before about the alarming rate of bee death (or colony collapse disorder) around the world, and last week the British Beekeepersâ Association revealed that one in three of the UKâs honeybee hives failed to survive the winter and spring.
Now, the Natural Resources Defense Council says…
It may come as a surprise to those not familiar with the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) – the primary law that regulates chemicals used in the US that go into products other than cosmetics, drugs and pesticides – to learn that about 15,000 chemicals on the TSCA inventory have their identities…
Last year we posted a notice of the highest measurement of dioxin ever recorded by the EPA. The reading was from the Tittabawassee River in Michigan, downstream from Dow Chemical's headquarters in Midland and on its way to Lake Huron (see map below). Michigan state safe levels are set at 90 ppt…
Despite substantial public opposition and the “grave concerns” of about 50 members of Congress and significant unanswered questions about human and environmental health impacts, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved a new herbicide called Enlist Duo for use on genetically…
I am unconvinced. First, this is an opinion piece. Two, they were never able to geographically tie bee loss to areas where these insectasides were used. Three, this stinks of a conspiracy theory to me. Finally, the most convincing data to me is that irradiation of hives seems to prevent CCD - suggesting a biological, not chemical, agent.
This isn't an actual new, factual link. This is an old conspiracy theory.
The article doesn't give any actual information to link the pesticide to CCD. It only asserts that "There is increasing reason to believe it." and that French and German results indicate the pesticide can be harmful to bees. (But note that the French and German results are not evidence of any link to CCD, at best they're consistent with the possibility that it could be a cause. Then one wonders why CCD only occurs in North America and not Europe (I believe) if Germany allowed the use of the pesticide until this year).
In short, the article offers no specific content at all pertaining to the question at hand (connection of Gaucho to CCD), and I suspect it mostly reflects its author's feelings towards pesticides. My suspicion is enhanced by the presence of the words "Most pesticides, we're told, are safe. So we add about 5 billion pounds a year of these deadly chemicals to our world [...]", which to me do not strongly suggest an individual familiar with patient contemplation.
Right, I should finish my thought...
Then one wonders why CCD only occurs in North America and not Europe (I believe) if Germany allowed the use of the pesticide until this year
which is shorthand for "Then one still has lots of other remaining questions to answer." For example, MarkH's point about irradiating hives having an effect is another such question.
Thanks for the input guys.
I didn't mean it to come off as "mystery solved" and I certainly accept your criticisms.
Any pointers to good reading material on this? Are there better/more well supported theories out there?
How do we know that it is not due to the GM foods? I have read that these products destroy everything for miles (seeds scattering through the wind).