Grist: Neonicotinoid pesticides linked to hive collapse?

[Winehole23]

U.K. guv takes threat of bee-killing pesticides seriously. Why doesn’t the U.S.?


(http://www.grist.org/people/Tom+Philpott)
by Tom Philpott (http://www.grist.org/people/Tom+Philpott)
31 Mar 2011 1:45 PM



Remember neonicotinoids? They're the widely used class of pesticides that an increasing body of evidence -- including from USDA researchers (http://www.grist.org/article/2011-01-21-top-USDA-bee-researcher-also-found-Bayer-pesticide-harmful) -- implicates in the collapse of honeybee populations. Neonicotinoids are marketed by the agrichemical giant Bayer, which reels in about $800 million in sales from them each year.


Germany (Bayer's home country), France, and Slovenia have either banned their use outright or limited it severely. Meanwhile, the U.S. EPA has stood by its approval of them -- even though its own scientists have discredited Bayer's research (http://www.grist.org/article/food-2010-12-10-leaked-documents-show-epa-allowed-bee-toxic-pesticide-) purporting to declare neonicotinoids safe for bees, and the USDA's chief bee scientist, Jeff Pettis, has reported doing research showing them to be highly harmful to bees even in extremely low doses (http://www.grist.org/article/2011-01-21-top-USDA-bee-researcher-also-found-Bayer-pesticide-harmful).


Good news: A government body is reconsidering the decision to approve those chemicals, based partly on concerns raised by Pettis. Less-good news: That government body is not our own; it's in the United Kingdom.



Our own EPA has maintained its approval for the pesticides -- and farmers throughout the nation will soon plant tens of millions of acres of neonicotinoid-treated corn seeds, which will soon sprout into trillions of corn plants with neonicotinoid-infused pollen.


From London-based The Independent (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/coalition-adviser-orders-review-of-safe-pesticides-2255728.html):

Growing concern about the new generation of pesticides used on 2.5 million acres of U.K. farmland has led one of the Government's most senior scientific advisers to order a review of the evidence used to justify their safety.
That scientist, Robert Watson, is the chief scientific adviser at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the U.K. version of the EPA.


Watson's concern was triggered by two recent studies, The Independent reports. The first is Pettis' as yet unpublished study, whose existence was revealed (http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/exclusive-bees-facing-a-poisoned-spring-2189267.html) by The Independent in January. The second, according to the newspaper, is new research from the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, which also found bees highly vulnerable to neonicotinoids in small doses.


It appears that the pesticides compromise bees' immune systems, making them susceptible to a viral pathogen called nosema.


Now, it's important to note that both Pettis' work and that of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research took place in the laboratory, not the field. That is, they established that neonicotinoids theoretically pose a grave threat to honeybees. That's not the same as showing that they harm them in real-world, corn-field conditions.


But given the decline of honeybee health, which roughly tracks with the explosion of neonicotinoid use in the late '90s, these studies show clear cause for grave concern. The coauthor of the Pettis study, Penn State University entomologist Dennis Van Engelsdorp, has stated (http://www.grist.org/i/assets/pettis_transcript.pdf) [PDF] that their research found severe harm from neonicotinoids at extremely low levels, "below the limit of detection." He added: "The only reason we knew the [dead] bees had exposure [to neonicotinoid pesticides] is because we exposed them."


What about field tests? The study presented by Bayer to show that the pesticides don't cause harm in real-world conditions has been thoroughly discredited. The EPA had accepted the study, after holding it without comment for two years; but then, last year, its own scientists downgraded it on the grounds that it was flawed, an internal EPA memo leaked in December showed (http://www.grist.org/article/food-2010-12-10-leaked-documents-show-epa-allowed-bee-toxic-pesticide-).


Apparently, to professional entomologists not on the Bayer payroll, the study was plainly shoddy. James Frazier, professor of entomology at Penn State, minced no words when I asked him about it in December. "When I looked at the study," he told me in a phone interview, "I immediately thought it was invalid."


So we've got the theoretical possibility that neonicotinoids cause serious harm to bees even at extremely low levels; we've got one of the few actual field studies exonerating the pesticide declared invalid; and we've got a catastrophic decline of a species critical to agriculture that coincides with the rise of said pesticide. You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to conclude that there's sufficient evidence to halt its use and subject it to rigorous, independent field study.



They're at least considering that course of action in the United Kingdom. And they're taking USDA scientist Pettis quite seriously. True, his research remains unpublished two years after it was completed. He has told me in emails that his study is in the review process for publication, but has no release date yet. He emphasized that the "delays are on my end; not a conspiracy to keep my data from seeing the light of day."


Delayed or not, Pettis' research has inspired the U.K.'s version of EPA to publicly review its decision to green-light neonicotinoids. Furthermore, Pettis "sits on a panel of leading experts who will review a £10m [$16 million] research initiative into the decline of bees funded by Defra, two of Britain's research councils, the Wellcome Trust and the Scottish Government," the Independent reports. He'll also address the House of Commons next month to "present his findings on neonicotinoids to MPs concerned about the possible link between the pesticides and the demise of bees and pollinating insects."



Hmm. Surely there are members of our analogue to the House of Commons, the House of Representatives, who are concerned about the possible link between the pesticides and the demise of bees and pollinating insects? Perhaps those formidable defenders of the environment, Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.)? Or Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y), who has been so heroic in the fight to prevent the meat industry from abusing antibiotics (http://www.grist.org/article/2009-03-18-New-legislation-would-make-th/)?


Tragically, it's probably too late to stop the planting of neonicotinoid-laced crops during this spring's growing season. But the long-term health of our pollinators -- and the health of the vast swaths of agriculture that rely on them -- demands serious attention to the mounting concerns about this highly profitable and ubiquitous class of pesticides.http://www.grist.org/industrial-agriculture/2011-03-31-uk-guv-threat-bee-killing-pesticides-bayer-neonicotinoids

[Winehole23]

It's springtime, and farmers throughout the Midwest and South are preparing to plant corn—and lots of it. The USDA projects (http://www.agweb.com/article/2012_biggest_corn_acreage_in_68_years/) this year's corn crop will cover 94 million acres, the most in 68 years. (By comparison, the state of California (http://www.statemaster.com/graph/geo_lan_acr_tot-geography-land-acreage-total) occupies a land mass of about 101 million acres.) Nearly all (http://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/Krupke_journal.pone_.0029268.pdf)of that immense stand of corn will be planted with seeds treated with neonicotinoid pesticides produced by the German chemical giant Bayer.
And that may be very bad news for honey bees, which remain in a dire state of health, riddled by large annual die-offs that have become known as "colony collapse disorder" (CCD). (http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2011/110523.htm)



In the past months, three separate studies—two of them just out in the prestigious journal Science—have added to a substantial body of literature linking widespread use of neonicotinoids to CCD. The latest research will renew pressure on the EPA to reconsider its registration of Bayer's products. The EPA green-lighted Bayer's products based largely on a study funded by the chemical giant itself (http://grist.org/politics/food-2010-12-10-leaked-documents-show-epa-allowed-bee-toxic-pesticide/)—which was later discredited by the EPA's own scientists, as this leaked memo (http://grist.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/memo_nov2010_clothianidin.pdf)shows.
http://motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/03/bayer-pesticide-bees-studies

[Winehole23]

• In a paper forthcoming in the peer-reviewed and highly respected journal Science—released Thursday on (subscription-required) ScienceExpress (http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/recent)—researchers found that exposure to small, sublethal doses of a neonic called thiamethoxam significantly affects bees' ability to find their way back to their hives—"at levels that could put a colony at risk of collapse." The research team also found that previous impact studies "are likely to severely underestimate sublethal pesticide effects when they are conducted on honey bee colonies placed in the immediate proximity of treated crops."


• The other forthcoming Science paper—also behind a paywall on ScienceExpress (http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/recent)—looked at neonics' effect on wild bumblebees, which are another critical pollinator that have gone into severe decline (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/03/bumblebees-study-us-decline)in recent years. In this study, researchers subjected bumblebee colonies to "field-realistic levels of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid" and then "allowed them to develop naturally under field conditions." The result: "Treated colonies had a significantly reduced growth rate and suffered an 85% reduction in production of new queens." Their conclusion: "Given the scale of use of neonicotinoids, we suggest that they may be having a considerable negative impact on wild bumble bee populations across the developed world."


• The third recent study (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22292570), published in the American Chemical Society's Environmental Science & Technology journal, looked at what happens to bees when farmers plant treated seeds, when foraging bees are exposed to neonic-containing dust. The authors found "lethal effects compatible with colony losses phenomena observed by beekeepers."
same

[Blake]

The US just staying two steps behind European countries like the US usually does.

[boutons_deux]

Italy ran an field experiment, banning neonicotinoid shit in a region of Italy. The bee population was stable or increased.

As with the FDA's recent BPA chicken out, BigChem will pay FDA to let nico. usage continue "pending further study". UCA has captured, owns the regulatory agencies.

[boutons_deux]

What Biotech Company Blamed for Bee Collapse Just Bought Leading Bee Research Firm?

Monsanto, which is the world leader in this type of biotechnology, is likely none too pleased about the recent accusations hurled against their product, so they've taken matters into their own hands and purchased one of the leading bee research firms – one that, conveniently, lists its primary goal as studying colony collapse disorder.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/05/08/what-biotech-company-blamed-for-bee-collapse-just-bought-leading-bee-research-firm.aspx?e_cid=20120508_DNL_art_2

Scientists: Corn Seed Coating Possible Bee-Killing Culprit

since Italy banned this type of insecticide, colony collapse disorder has virtually disappeared, making neonicotinoid insecticides major suspects in the causes of colony collapse disorder.

http://www.rodale.com/research-feed/causes-colony-collapse-disorder

UCA will fuck over the environment, water, land for profit. They now have the financial power to stop anybody trying to stop them.

Once CCD is more widespread and food dependent on bee pollination becomes scarce, the UCA will make $100Bs in windfall profits, just like the oilcos post peak-oil and/or during MIC-induced war.

[Winehole23]

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/04/09/mystery-of-the-disappearing-bees-solved/

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I always figured this was a given. The african bee scare was supposed to overtake the northern US. Then all the bees start dying....

[boutons_deux]

How many years, if ever, will it take for US to ban Neonicotinoid pesticides?

If the still-unbanned endocrine disrupters like atrazine and BPA are any guide, many, many years.

BigChem owns enough legislators to keep those profits rolling in.

[CosmicCowboy]

Do y'all have dogs? How do you control fleas/ticks?

[cantthinkofanything]

Do y'all have dogs? How do you control fleas/ticks?

I have a pet monkey that picks them off of the dogs.

[SnakeBoy]

Do y'all have dogs? How do you control fleas/ticks?

Fire ants.

[boutons_deux]

Study proves pesticide exposure linked to bumblebee colony failuresIn the colonies exposed to imidacloprid, fewer adult workers emerged from larvae and a higher proportion of foragers failed to return to the nest, the investigators found.
In those exposed to gamma-cyhalothrin, there was a higher death rate among worker bees.

And colonies that were exposed to both kinds of pesticides were likelier to fail.

The experiment was exceptionally long and detailed, the scientists say.

It lasted four weeks, whereas current guidelines test pesticides on bees for only up to 96 hours.

In addition, it looked at what happened when bees were exposed to two chemicals at the same time and at the changes in a colony’s social structure.

“Our findings have clear implications for the conservation of insect pollinators in areas of agricultural intensification, particularly social bees, with their complex social organisation and dependence on a critical threshold of workers,” says the study, published in Nature.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/10/21/study-proves-pesticide-exposure-linked-to-bumblebee-colony-failures/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story% 29&utm_content=Google+Reader

How many more years will BigChem be able successfully to pay Congress whores for not banning this poisonous shit. Corporate profits trump EVERYTHING.

[DMC]

Do y'all have dogs? How do you control fleas/ticks? With flea/tick control legislation.

[Wild Cobra]

With flea/tick control legislation.
Would you please stop talking like a libtard?

[boutons_deux]

Right-wingers ignoring and denying science that indicts corporate products and risks reducing corporate profits.

[Winehole23]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-22/beekeepers-sue-epa-over-pesticide-approvals.html

http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=15572

[boutons_deux]

Mystery Malady Kills More Bees, Heightening Worry on Farms

A mysterious malady that has been killing honeybees (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/bees/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier) en masse for several years appears to have expanded drastically in the last year, commercial beekeepers say, wiping out 40 percent or even 50 percent of the hives needed to pollinate many of the nation’s fruits and vegetables.

A conclusive explanation so far has escaped scientists studying the ailment, colony collapse disorder, since it first surfaced around 2005. But beekeepers and some researchers say there is growing evidence that a powerful new class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids, incorporated into the plants themselves, could be an important factor.

The pesticide industry disputes that. But its representatives also say they are open to further studies to clarify what, if anything, is happening.

“They looked so healthy last spring,” said Bill Dahle, 50, who owns Big Sky Honey in Fairview, Mont. “We were so proud of them. Then, about the first of September, they started to fall on their face, to die like crazy. We’ve been doing this 30 years, and we’ve never experienced this kind of loss before.”

In a show of concern, the Environmental Protection Agency (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/e/environmental_protection_agency/index.html?inline=nyt-org) recently sent its acting assistant administrator for chemical safety and two top chemical experts here, to the San Joaquin Valley of California, for discussions.
In the valley, where 1.6 million hives of bees just finished pollinating an endless expanse of almond groves, commercial beekeepers who only recently were losing a third of their bees to the disorder say the past year has brought far greater
losses.

The federal Agriculture Department is to issue its own assessment in May. But in an interview, the research leader at its Beltsville, Md., bee research laboratory, Jeff Pettis, said he was confident that the death rate would be “much higher than it’s ever been.”

Following a now-familiar pattern, bee deaths rose swiftly last autumn and dwindled as operators moved colonies to faraway farms for the pollination season. Beekeepers say the latest string of deaths has dealt them a heavy blow.

Bret Adee, who is an owner, with his father and brother, of Adee Honey Farms of South Dakota, the nation’s largest beekeeper, described mounting losses.

“We lost 42 percent over the winter. But by the time we came around to pollinate almonds, it was a 55 percent loss,” he said in an interview here this week.

“They looked beautiful in October,” Mr. Adee said, “and in December, they started falling apart, when it got cold.”

Mr. Dahle said he had planned to bring 13,000 beehives from Montana — 31 tractor-trailers full — to work the California almond groves. But by the start of pollination last month, only 3,000 healthy hives remained.


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/29/science/earth/soaring-bee-deaths-in-2012-sound-alarm-on-malady.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

[boutons_deux]

Nicotine Bees" Population Restored With Neonicotinoids Ban

Following France and Germany, last year the Italian Agriculture Ministry suspended the use of a class of pesticides, nicotine-based neonicotinoids, as a "precautionary measure." The compelling results - restored bee populations - prompted the government to uphold the ban.

Yesterday, copies of the film 'Nicotine Bees (http://nicotinebees.com/)' were delivered to the US Congress explaining the pesticide's connection to Colony Collapse Disorder. (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/bee-colony-collapse-disorder-potential-cause-and-cure-discovered.php) Despite the evidence, why does CCD remain a 'mystery' in the US?

http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/nicotine-bees-population-restored-with-neonicotinoids-ban.html

... because BigChem profits would be hurt if neonicotinoid shit were banned.

[TeyshaBlue]

The view from another side:

Bee-ing Smart: Regulators Must Distinguish Activists' Bad Dreams From Good Evidence

http://www.forbes.com/sites/henrymiller/2013/03/13/bee-ing-smart-regulators-must-distinguish-activists-bad-dreams-from-actual-evidence/

[boutons_deux]

The view from another side:

Bee-ing Smart: Regulators Must Distinguish Activists' Bad Dreams From Good Evidence

http://www.forbes.com/sites/henrymiller/2013/03/13/bee-ing-smart-regulators-must-distinguish-activists-bad-dreams-from-actual-evidence/

fuck Forbes and fuck BigChem

activists have bad dreams? great bias right in the headline. farmers and bee people are having BAD NIGHTMARES

Forbes? :lol

[TeyshaBlue]

You can't address the article. Not surprising. What does thinkprogress tell you to say about this?

[TeyshaBlue]

You laugh at Forbes and it's quotes from COLOSS yet post a link from treehugger.com

lol simpleton.

[mouse]

bjef4QiKWfg

[boutons_deux]

"Hoover Institution"

:lol

"bad dreams"

"science is unsettled"

"studies bad"

"needs more study"

(keep the corporate profits rolling no matter what the externalities and damages)

[boutons_deux]

Fuck Monsanto to hell

[TeyshaBlue]

Lol ..still can't address the Forbes article.

[TeyshaBlue]

....and its Bayer....you know, the German company.:lmao

[Winehole23]

thanks for the link, tb

[boutons_deux]

I know the neonicotinoids are from Bayer,mostly, but GE seeds from Monsanto coated with them are the largest source of neonicotinoids pollution.

[boutons_deux]

EU Announces Potential Ban on Neonicotinoid Pesticides Linked to Bee Deaths, Environmental Collapse (http://naturalsociety.com/eu-announces-ban-neonicotinoid-pesticides-linked-bee-deaths/)

In a major victory for environmental preservation, the European Union has announced a potential history-making ban on neonicotinoid pesticides that have been linked to the death of bees worldwide.

Despite 15 nations voting against the ban, EU rules allow for a designated ruling body to enact limitations on the use of neonicotinoids. The EU commission may now put into effect a 2 year restriction on neonicotinoids found in pesticides – the chemicals responsible for harming bees. Furthermore, the UK won’t have the option to opt of of these restrictions (even though they voted against a ban due to ‘inconclusive scientific evidence’).

“The European Commission will decide on the adoption of a proposal of restriction on use of 3 pesticides (nenicotinoids (NNI) – clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiametoxam) following vote in the Appeal Committee on April 29 2013 – where the proposal was supported by 15 Member States but did not reach a qualified majority,” a post reads on the European Commission website (http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/liveanimals/bees/neonicotinoids_en.htm).



“The Commission will go ahead with its text in the coming weeks,” said EU Health Commissioner, Tonio Borg ffter Monday’s vote. ”I pledge to do my utmost to ensure that our bees, which are so vital to our ecosystem and contribute over 22bn euros (£18.5bn; $29bn) annually to European agriculture, are protected.”


Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director Marco Contiero said Monday’s vote “makes it crystal clear that there is overwhelming scientific, political and public support for a ban. Those countries opposing a ban have failed.”

http://naturalsociety.com/eu-announces-ban-neonicotinoid-pesticides-linked-bee-deaths/#ixzz2S3AScHp1

TB :lol if you post, be ready to be bitch slapped

[TeyshaBlue]

You think about me too much.

[CosmicCowboy]

Wait till they figure out they just banned the stuff that keeps their dogs and cats from getting fleas.

*scratch*scratch*scratch*

[boutons_deux]

do you prefer no fleas to no bees?

CC: he never met a Corporate-American he wouldn't fellate.

[CosmicCowboy]

Just laughing that they probably didn't realize they just banned Fido's monthly flea treatment.

[boutons_deux]

Just laughing that they probably didn't realize they just banned Fido's monthly flea treatment.

keeping nico's off crops and seeds isn't the same as keeping fleas off dogs. So there's no other anti-flea poison for your flea bag dog?

[boutons_deux]

Honey Bee Die-Off Caused by Multiple Factors Including Pesticides


A federal study released today attributes the massive die-off in American honey bee colonies to a combination of factors (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/03/science/earth/government-study-cites-mix-of-factors-in-death-of-honeybees.html), including pesticides, poor diet, parasites and a lack of genetic diversity. Nearly a third of honey bee colonies (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/29/science/earth/soaring-bee-deaths-in-2012-sound-alarm-on-malady.html?pagewanted=all) in the United States have been wiped out since 2006. The estimated value of crops lost if bees were no longer able to pollinate fruits and vegetables is around $15 billion.

Experts at the USDA, EPA and others involved in the federal bee study concluded that there was not enough evidence to support a ban in the United States, and that the cost of imposing one could outweigh the benefits. They recommended further research be done. :lol :lol :lol

http://truth-out.org/news/item/16156-honey-bee-die-off-caused-by-multiple-factors-including-pesticides

Yes! BigAg/BigChem corrupt puppets in govt say: "we need lots more CCD wipeouts until the cost exceeds the profits of the BigChem poisoners, then we might do something, (but probably not)"

[boutons_deux]

Top Insecticide Is Devastating Aquatic Insects, Threatening Environmental Stability (http://naturalsociety.com/study-insecticide-aquatic-insects-environmental/)the new study authors actually allows for around 20,000 tons of bug repellent chemical to be used for livestock bug repellent, Dr Jeroen van der Sluijs of the Utrecht University says that allowing aquatic insects like snails and dragonflies to die at record numbers will ultimately challenge environmental stability at large through an assault on the food chain.

The research, published in the journal PLOS One (http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0062374) and performed by Dutch researchers from Utrecht University (http://www.uu.nl/EN/Pages/default.aspx), details the methods in which the dangerous insecticide can ravage the wildlife population by tracking its journey from farmland to stomach.
It all starts with the application of the insecticide onto crops, or in some cases use as a bug repellent for livestock and pets (which is a truly horrible idea). Even the ditch water found in fields treated with the insecticide was found to be an effective pesticide. In other words, the concerning insecticide is still powerful in eliminating insects even after a significant amount of dilution.


http://naturalsociety.com/study-insecticide-aquatic-insects-environmental/#ixzz2SR8PRlvK


The Anthropocene is really fucking up the planet, for fun and corporate profits.

[boutons_deux]

Widespread Use of Neonicotinoids Poses Risks to More Than Bees (http://ecowatch.com/2013/neonicotinoids-poses-risks-to-more-than-bees/)


http://ecowatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Screen-Shot-2013-09-26-at-11.38.48-AM.png

A report (http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/XercesSociety_CBCneonics_sep2013.pdf) released this week by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation (http://www.xerces.org/) moves the spotlight from the risks neonicotinoids pose to bees (http://ecowatch.com/2013/worldwide-honey-bee-collapse-a-lesson-in-ecology/) to the impacts of neonicotinoids to invertebrates such as earthworms or lady beetles.

Beyond the Birds and the Bees provides a comprehensive review of published articles and pulls together the growing body of research that demonstrates risks from neonicotinoids to these beneficial insects. These risks occur particularly in agricultural systems, but are also found in urban and suburban ornamental landscapes.

Findings from the Review:



[*=left]Although neonicotinoids have been promoted as safer for beneficial insects than older insecticides, the balance of evidence suggests that neonicotinoids are generally harmful to a variety of beneficial insects.
[*=left]Widespread preemptive application of neonicotinoids (or any pesticide) represents a fundamental shift away from Integrated Pest Management, since chemicals are frequently applied before pest damage has occurred, and often in the absence of any current pest abundance data (http://ecowatch.com/2013/50000-bumblebees-dead-neonicotinoid-pesticide/).
[*=left]Use of neonicotinoid seed treatments on annual field crops has increased dramatically in the last decade yet these treatments may not consistently result in yield benefits and can be less cost effective than other control measures.
[*=left]Though neonicotinoid seed treatments may be unnecessary or more expensive than other treatments in some circumstances, it is very challenging for farmers to obtain non-organic field crop seed that is not treated with neonicotinoids.
[*=left]Neonicotinoid resistance has been documented in a number of pests, including green peach aphid, whitefly, and Colorado potato beetle. The environmental persistence of neonicotinoids such as imidacloprid and clothianidin, coupled with their widespread use, can facilitate pest resistance.
[*=left]Although there has been less research on the impact of neonicotinoids to soil organisms, most studies to date have found that neonicotinoids may have negative effects on earthworms and other soil invertebrates.



http://ecowatch.com/2013/neonicotinoids-poses-risks-to-more-than-bees/

[boutons_deux]

Research into bee-killing pesticides is tainted by corporate interests

Here’s one way to keep us from finding out once and for all whether pesticides are contributing to the mysterious and catastrophic collapse of the world’s bee colonies: let the people manufacturing the pesticides fund the studies. That’s the charge being leveled against Britain’s government by the Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee in a report (http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environmental-audit-committee/news/report-national-pollinator-strategy/) published Monday, which contends (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/28/bee-research-funding-pesticides-mps) that corporate funding is compromising the integrity of its scientific research.

The good news, amidst a sea of bad news, is that hardly anyone’s arguing that the we have a serious bee problem on our hands. In the U.S., about 23.2 percent (http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/15/us-usda-honeybees-report-idUSKBN0DV12120140515) of honey bee colonies were lost over winter 2013-2014 — an improvement from the even more disastrous winter that came before it, but a rate that the U.S. government nonetheless calls (http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/15/us-usda-honeybees-report-idUSKBN0DV12120140515) “economically unsustainable.” The White House, in pledging $50 million (http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/22/politics/honey-bees-protection/) to address the problem, calls the losses a “genuine threat to domestic agriculture.”

A number of factors are likely contributing to bee declines here and abroad; among them are invasive parasites, along with the rise of monocultures — acres and acres of fields dedicated to one crop and one crop only — and the resulting loss of bee-supporting flowers. But a growing number of independent studies (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/01/opinion/risking-another-silent-spring.html) are pointing to a class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids, concluding that they, if not the sole driver of declines, are nonetheless heavily implicated. (To take just one example, they’ve been shown to compromise bees’ immune systems, making them that much more susceptible to the viruses being carried by said parasites.) The voices most loudly insisting that there’s no link between pesticides and bee die-offs belong, unsurprisingly, to industry representatives, who continue to insist (http://www.startribune.com/local/268611322.html?site=full) that the science is inconclusive.

http://www.salon.com/2014/07/28/report_research_into_bee_killing_pesticides_is_tai nted_by_corporate_interests/

[boutons_deux]

Beekeepers file suit against pesticide makers Syngenta and Bayer

Beekeepers in Ontario have launched a lawsuit against two big chemical companies, alleging their pesticides have caused widespread bee deaths that have driven up costs and reduced honey production.

The honey makers allege Syngenta AG and Bayer CropScience were “negligent” in the “design, sale manufacture and distribution” of neonicotinoid pesticides, which are used to grow corn, soybeans and many other crops.

The lawsuit (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/the-law-page/article20322138.ece/BINARY/Statement+of+Claim.pdf), which seeks $450-million in damages, alleges beekeepers experienced damaged or lost bee colonies, lost profits and unrecoverable costs as a result of neonic use on plants and crops. None of the allegations have been proven.

The case marks an escalation in the battle between Ontario beekeepers and chemical companies, two groups farmers rely on for pollination and crop protection.

The lead plaintiffs in the suit are Sun Parlor Honey Ltd. and Munro Honey, both of which are family-owned business in southwestern Ontario, the heart of the province’s agriculture sector.

In the statement of claim filed Wednesday, both companies allege they respectively lost more than $2-million in bees and honey production because of neonics between 2013 and 2006, when the pesticides became widely used in Canada.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/the-law-page/beekeepers-plan-to-sue-pesticide-makers-over-bee-deaths/article20319629/

[Winehole23]

the EPA says neonicotinoid treated seeds provide no benefits to soybeans farmers
So, there's this widely used class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids, marketed by chemical giants Bayer and Syngenta, that have emerged as a prime (http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/03/bayer-pesticide-bees-studies) suspect (http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2014/05/smoking-gun-bee-collapse) in honeybee collapse, and may also be harming birds (http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2013/03/not-just-bees-bayers-pesticide-may-harm-birds-too) and water-borne critters (http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2014/07/federal-agency-finds-neonic-pesticides-midwestern-water). But at least they provide benefits to farmers, right?


Well, not soybean farmers, according to a blunt economic assessment released Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency (PDF (http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-10/documents/benefits_of_neonicotinoid_seed_treatments_to_soybe an_production_2.pdf)). Conclusion: "There are no clear or consistent economic benefits of neonicotinoid seed treatments in soybeans."
Wait, what?


The report goes on: "This analysis provides evidence that US soybean growers derive limited to no benefit from neonicotinoid seed treatments in most instances."
Hmmm. But at least they're better for farmers than no pesticide at all?


Nope: "Published data indicate that most usage of neonicotinoid seed treatments does not protect soybean yield any better than doing no pest control."

http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2014/10/epa-those-bee-killing-pesticides-theyre-pretty-useless-otherwise

[boutons_deux]

"no benefits to soybeans farmers"

of course not, that's BigChem LIE. the only benefits are to BigChem profits and effective annual enslavement of farming to their toxic shit.

btw, the BigAg/BigChem's very own agency, FDA, is actually considering approving Agent Orange component 2,4,-D because Roundup has failed.

http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/food/genetically-engineered-foods/24-d-corn/

[Winehole23]

And not only are neonics useless against soybeans' major field pest, aphids; they may actually boost the fortunes of another important one, the slug, which is "emerging as a key pest" in the soybean belt, according to the report. Pointing to a 2015 study (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.12372/abstract) from Penn State researchers, the report notes that slugs aren't affected by neonics, so they can gobble neonic-treated soy sprouts at will, accumulating the chemical. But when insects called the ground beetle—which has a taste for slugs but not soybean plants—eat the neonic-containing slugs, they tend to die. So slugs transfer the poison from the crops to their natural predator, the ground beetle, and throw the predator balance out of whack, allowing slugs to proliferate. As a result, the Penn State researchers found, neonic seed treatments actually reduce yields in slug-infested fields.http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2016/01/widely-used-insecticide-may-kill-bees-better-it-does-actual-pests

[sickdsm]

Really world data says treating soybeans help delay aphid infestations. Not worth it to me as I spray for aphids anyway, which instantly kills all insects.

[Winehole23]

Really world data says treating soybeans help delay aphid infestations. Not worth it to me as I spray for aphids anyway, which instantly kills all insects.Delay being the key word.

The meta study discussed here finds there's little to no benefit for most soybean growers:

https://www.motherjones.com/food/2019/09/a-big-new-study-finds-bee-killing-pesticides-arent-even-worth-it-for-soybean-farmers/
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/365/6458/1177

[SnakeBoy]

May Berenbaum, University of Illinois entomology professor and department head, said via email that "the CCD bees also carry a greater number of picorna-like viruses; these are viruses that "hijack" the ribosome, inserting themselves and reprogramming ribosomes to manufacture viral proteins instead of bee proteins. So, what we think is happening is that infection by multiple viruses basically overloads the ribosome, which falls apart, thus leaving bees vulnerable to other stresses." This, according to the authors of the study, is "the root cause of colony collapse disorder."
https://www.popsci.com/environment/article/2009-08/ccd/

Humans still bad though tbh fwiw imho

[boutons_deux]

May Berenbaum, University of Illinois entomology professor and department head, said via email that "the CCD bees also carry a greater number of picorna-like viruses; these are viruses that "hijack" the ribosome, inserting themselves and reprogramming ribosomes to manufacture viral proteins instead of bee proteins. So, what we think is happening is that infection by multiple viruses basically overloads the ribosome, which falls apart, thus leaving bees vulnerable to other stresses." This, according to the authors of the study, is "the root cause of colony collapse disorder."
https://www.popsci.com/environment/article/2009-08/ccd/

Humans still bad though tbh fwiw imho

yep, humans are fucking up the planet, shitting piles into their own bed, there's no stopping it

insecticides weakening the bees so all kinds of other stresses can kill them

[Winehole23]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GbVvpYnWEAAF9EL?format=jpg&name=900x900

[SnakeBoy]

Crisis averted

Thanks hobbyists

[Winehole23]

...another big die off

with reportedly unprecedented results for commercial agriculture


Honeybee officials are raising the alarm about severe colony losses over the past few months. The extent of the bee deaths is still being tallied, but one estimate suggests more than a million colonies have died.


...


Over the past 20 years commercial beekeepers have often lost nearly 50 percent of their bees over the winter. But Ellis, who is also president of the national Pollinator Stewardship Council, said he’s hearing from beekeepers who have losses ranging from 70 to 100 percent this year. One immediate repercussion is that there aren't enough bees to fully pollinate California’s almond crop.



“The almond crop will be impacted due to a shortage of bees in a way that has never happened before,” said Ellis who takes his bees to California to pollinate almond orchards.



https://img.apmcdn.org/ee11115085d15793199ecfcb29fc9d0a0aa2acb6/uncropped/811008-20160802-backyard-beekeeping2.jpgBees are busy outside a hive managed by hobby beekeeper Jonathan Garaas near Fargo N.D.
Dan Gunderson | MPR News 2016


In a statement earlier this month, the Almond Board of California said it was aware of “alarming reports of nationwide honeybee colony losses” as beekeepers prepared for the almond pollination season.


Honeybee organizations are collecting data to determine the extent of the losses. A voluntary online survey conducted by Project Apis m., named for the Apis mellifera honeybee, found “severe and sudden” colony losses, according to a recent news release. The nonprofit estimate nearly 1.25 million colonies have been lost since June of 2024.


“Initial survey results of colony losses suggest that commercial beekeepers may have lost in excess of 60 percent of their bees. The scale of these losses is completely unsustainable,” said Zac Browning, a fourth-generation commercial beekeeper from North Dakota and board chairman of Project Apis m.
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/02/23/beekeepers-say-catastrophic-honeybee-losses-are-cause-for-alarm