Honey Bee Die-Off Caused By Multiple Factors Including Pesticides

[Coyotl]

Honey Bee Die-Off Caused By Multiple Factors Including Pesticides
http://billmoyers.com/2013/05/02/honey-bee-die-off-caused/
May 2, 2013
by Theresa Riley

A federal study released today attributes the massive die-off in American honey bee colonies to a combination of factors, including pesticides, poor diet, parasites and a lack of genetic diversity. Nearly a third of honey bee colonies 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.

The report comes on the heels of an announcement Monday by the European Union that they are banning the use of pesticides that may be harmful to bees for two years. The measure is being closely watched here because the insecticides, known as neonicotinoids, have been in wide use for the past decade. Many studies, including the study released today by the USDA, have made a link between the insecticides — which are used to ward off pests such as aphids and beetles — and honeybee deaths. European researchers will conduct further experiments over the two-year period to assess whether the chemicals are a contributing factor in “colony collapse disorder.”

U.S. beekeepers have been reporting annual hive deaths of about 30 percent or higher for much of the past 10 years, ....

[HereSince1628]

1. Great general diagram, but it suggests all the mortality factors are equal

which anyone with a glimmer of understanding of insect natural history knows is very unlikely.

[Javaman]

2. the one thing that I find really amusing about this chart is...

"Farmer Practices: monoculture, field size" LOL

as if the bees consult with the farmer.

I keep bees and and average radius for pollen collecting for the average bee is 5 miles. Larger in some cases.

"Climate & Weather: Planting season (this has zero to due with bees harvesting pollen) Spring timing - yes there is some truth to this via climate change, Winter Severity - winters, due to climate change, have been overall less severe and wouldn't account for the southern climes. We here in Texas have been experiencing much more milder winters over the last 15 years than ever before.

"Pathogens - Anyone who keeps bees keeps a close on on this. I treat yearly for Varroa Mite and various diseases. (so this is also BS, especially for the larger honey producers)

"Residues in bee products: hive foundations - pollen wax" as a bee keeper when you do your bi-weekly inspections, you look for all sorts of things. One is the foundations and a good bee keeper will change out old "blackened" foundations to maintain hive health. And good bee keepers on a large scale production production situation will recreate new foundations from the hives wax. I don't, because I only have two hives, but larger producers will.

The issue with hive collapse has always been about pesticides. Germany and France banned the biggest killers of hives years ago when they found through research that pesticides are the culprit.

when bees have to deal with crops that are sprayed within an inch of their lives with all sorts of chems, is it any wonder why they are dying?

more papering over the actually problem by obfuscating the issue by the FDA and the USDA who are staffed and headed up by people from the big agra corps.

They know what the problem is but the cargills, the agarcorps, the monsantos, the dows and the various other chem manufactures don't want to take blame for something that would mean they would have to change their practice at the loss of revenue.

we are slowly killing ourselves and our planet for want of grossly unbelievable profit.

All I have to say is this: those ceo's and their henchmen also eat food.

[Buzz Clik]

4. Just curious

What pesticides are causing colony collapse? Is it all of them?

[Javaman]

8. Here's some Irony...

while the US continues to allow bee killing pesticides in the US, just a few days ago Europe banned some more of them...

Bee-harming pesticides banned in Europe

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/apr/29/bee-harming-pesticides-banned-europe

That aside, the one particular pesticide that was banned a few years ago in both France and Germany is Clothianidin.

But here is a pdf that gives you all the details...

http://bees.pan-uk.org/assets/downloads/Bee_factsheet4.pdf

also...

What a scientist didn't tell the New York Times about his study on bee deaths

http://money.cnn.com/2010/10/08/news/honey_bees_ny_times.fortune/index.htm

[Buzz Clik]

9. Did you read it?

Your comments are not consistent with someone who is informed on this subject.

[Javaman]

10. oh, show me. nt

[Buzz Clik]

11. No need.

[Javaman]

12. You make an accusation then don't support it?

Why then make it?

[Buzz Clik]

13. Your comments did the work for me.

You mentioned multiple chemical companies, including companies having nothing to do with the chemicals that impact bees.

You stated that the chemicals in question are applied at extreme levels. Also wrong.

And on and on.

Do yourself a favor and read the reports. Carefully.

[Javaman]

14. Show me where?

So, let's see, perhaps if you were less of arrogant and chose to be more instructive, then perhaps I would be more open to your opinion, huh?

So show me where I did that and I will be the first to admit I was wrong.

"You mentioned multiple chemical companies, including companies having nothing to do with the chemicals that impact bees."

Which?

"You stated that the chemicals in question are applied at extreme levels. Also wrong."

I didn't. Show me were I said that?

"Do yourself a favor and read the reports. Carefully."

And perhaps if you do yourself a favor and come across less self righteous, I would be more open to your opinion.

[Buzz Clik]

16. No way.

I grow tired of ignorance masquerading as activism.

You want answers? Then answer these questions:

1. What chemical(s) have been shown to be directly involved in colony collapse disorder?
2. How are these chemicals used? What are the rates of application? How do these rates of application compare to any other pesticide? Are these rates of application consistent with your claims and comments?
3. What company (companies) manufacture these chemicals?
4. Can you name at least one chemical company you listed that has NOTHING to do with this?

It is not up to me to read the report to you. But, if you read enough of the reports to answer these questions, then our interaction has been to your benefit.

You're welcome.

[Javaman]

17. LOL thought as much.

Typical.

Cheers. have a great day.

[Buzz Clik]

19. I will not spoon feed information to something delighting in their ignorance.

You never read the report. You don't give a damn about being accurate -- which is exactly why I didn't bother with you.

[Javaman]

20. Yet you seem to enjoy wallowing

in your own self importance.

You make an accusation to which you say I am wrong but yet refuse to show me where I am in the things I posted, then you tell me it's my job to show you were I was wrong. LOL

And on top of that, I was gracious enough to say, if I am wrong, I will be the first to admit it, and when I asked you to show me where, you just hurl more accusations.

Not really a good way to debate an issue.

Again, have a great day.

[Buzz Clik]

21. And yet you offer nothing in your defense. Why is that?

[Javaman]

22. LOL

I'll just keep playing out the line.

I offer nothing because you posted nothing for me to refute. LOL

You make these claims but then don't go on to show me where I make bad claims.

You seem to take a lot of enjoyment out of circular logic.

And when you appear to be done with the conversation, you keep responding with more oddness.

So are we done now? or do still have something to say about my post without offer up any examples?

And for the 3rd time, I will offer it up again, if I had posted something wrong, I am the first to admit it. Show me. Why is that so difficult for you?

[Buzz Clik]

24. You cannot answer a single question I asked. Not one.

Is this consistent with someone who knows anything about the subject?

Go ahead and answer just one of those questions.

[Javaman]

26. I would gladly answer the questions...

when you show me where in my post I posted erroneous information.

I'm not avoiding it in the least.

You posted questions that didn't reference any of the articles I posted.

If you post questions and cut and paste erroneous information from the articles I posted then I will gladly answer them.

If you had just done that from the start instead of being adversarial, all of this could have been dealt with like adults.

Have a great day.

[Buzz Clik]

28. Ok. Here are your erroneous statements:

They know what the problem is but the cargills, the agarcorps, the monsantos, the dows and the various other chem manufactures don't want to take blame for something that would mean they would have to change their practice at the loss of revenue

when bees have to deal with crops that are sprayed within an inch of their lives with all sorts of chems, is it any wonder why they are dying?

Now are you going to answer the questions? A non-answer will be a confession of ignorance.

[Javaman]

32. Okay, so your issue is with the fact that I blame them for the problems

and I don't support my accusations with links.

Okay fair enough and was that so hard to do?

Regarding the ag corps and their GMO's and pesticides.

The articles I posted dealt with the pesticides banned in Europe, no? Not here, correct?

So your beef is with me stating the obvious connections that Europe made. And while I did use a little hyperbole, I echo'd essentially what the European nations did in executing a ban on certain pesticides that were used by the ag corps in Europe and are used by the ag corps here in the states.

And since I keep bees and am a standing member of a national bee keepers society, I am in contact with various bee keepers around the nation, who have told me about how they have seen failings in their hives weeks after nearby crops are sprayed with various pesticides. Round up is a classic one they all seem to agree has a direct effect upon their bee populations.

So there it is. That's my answer. If you wish to press the matter more, please. I admit to not knowing everything, but please all I ask is you to be civil and not so accusatory.

Life is so incredible short.

Have a great day.

[Buzz Clik]

36. I am not even sure how to respond

You are willing to equate science and hearsay. I find that frustrating. An EPA panel met for a solid week to evaluate what is known about the CCD issue. They heard from chemical companies, beekeepers, state governments, etc. The panel was populated with experts from every relevant field, including experts from the EU. They published their findings through EPA. The results are 100% consistent with the science out of the EU.

With all that knowledge out there in support of your business, it is incomprehensible to me that you are willing to ignore it and repeat claims that are conflict with that information.

[Javaman]

37. what I find interesting is this...

you quoted me but not anything in the articles.

and given that I posted an article that is only 4 days old that shows the EU banning insecticides.

I think we're done.

and given your gross lack of debating skills and your brutish inability to be polite, it appears as if you strive to have the last word, so you may have it and put in your last "dig".

Have a great day.

[gvstn]

33. I'm curious what you feed your bees

I had just noticed right on the heels of the EU decision to ban certain pesticides an alternative cause of colony collapse was postulated that being feeding bees High Fructose Corn Syrup. Does that seem plausible to you? It just seems rather convenient to me.

[Javaman]

34. I get 5 pound bags of sugar from costco.

I "brew" my syrup myself.

Many of the bee keepers I know use HFCS, even the company that sold me my bees.

I'm trying hard to have an organic closed loop garden in my yard, as a result, I'm trying my hardest to keep GMO plants and seeds out as well.

I fed my bees pretty consistantly most of last year, but so far, since we have had a lot of rain, I haven't fed them once this year and so far (fingers crossed) they are doing just fine.

[gvstn]

35. Thanks!

I'm going to pay attention to the HFCS hypothesis since I am pretty much convinced that the pesticides are the real culprit. I just found it odd that HFSC suddenly appeared as a possibility at exactly the time that the EU got serious about testing the pesticide theory.

[FedUpWithIt All]

3. Suspect participants including Bayer and Monsanto and Dow and Dupont.

Participants
Berger, Lori California Specialty Crop Association
Browning, Zach Browning Honey Co. Inc.
Davies-Adams, Laurie North American Pollinator Protection Campaign
Delaney, Deborah University of Delaware
Downey, Danielle Apiary Inspectors of America
Hayes, Jerry Monsanto/Beeologics
Heintz, Christi Project Apis m
Johnson, Jody Smithers Viscient
Kelly, Iain Bayer CropScience
Kuivila, Kathryn USGS
Ludwig, Gabrielle Almond Board of California
Overmyer, Jay Syngenta Crop Protection
Verhoek, Randy Harvest Honey Inc ND, NHBA
Wehling, Wayne USDA APHIS

Participants
Adee, Bret American Honey Producers Association
Alix, Anne Dow AgroSciences
Berenbaum, May University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana
Bireley, Richard California Dept. of Pesticide Regulation
Christiansen, Jessica Monsanto/Beeologics
Egan, Peter Armed Forces Pest Management Board
Fischer, David Bayer Crop Science
Hansen, George American Beekeepers‟ Federation
Harriot, Nichelle Beyond Pesticides
Hart, Connie Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency
Hooven, Louisa Oregon State University
Hou, Wayne Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency
Johansen, Erik Washington State Department of Agriculture
McCain, Pat Syngenta Crop Science
Mendes, Dave Commercial Beekeeper, FL
O'Neill, Bridget DuPont Chemical
Parker, Don National Cotton Council
Pettis, Jeff USDA ARS
Ruckert, Ed McDermott Will & Emery LLP
Seetin, Mark U.S. Apple Committee
Tindal, Nick Association of Equipment Manufacturers
Trainer, Maria CropLife Canada

I found it interesting that there is no mention of GMOs

[Buzz Clik]

5. What are those lists?

[FedUpWithIt All]

6. Participant lists for the study

The study is linked in this report

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/03/science/earth/government-study-cites-mix-of-factors-in-death-of-honeybees.html

Here is a link about Monsanto's purchase of Beelogics.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-schiffman/the-fox-monsanto-buys-the_b_1470878.html

The root of the problem, however, may not be the virus targeted by Remembee, a chemical agent which utilizes RNA interference, a mechanism that blocks gene expression, but the herbicides and insecticides that agro-chemical giants like Monsanto, Dow and Bayer have themselves been hawking to farmers around the world.

Some have also pointed the finger at the pollen from genetically modified Roundup Ready corn which bees ingest, and which contains a powerful insecticide within its genetic structure. Roundup seeds are manufactured by Monsanto, and are currently planted across wide swaths of the American Midwest and elsewhere.

So with Monsanto products themselves amongst the key suspects in Colony Collapse Disorder, one might ask: Why has the multinational bought a company which has been a key player in researching this disorder as well as Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus, another scourge of bees?

[Buzz Clik]

7. Good deal.

Sounds like a reasonable mix. It makes the study more credible.

[FedUpWithIt All]

15. Why no mention of GMOs?

It is easy to link pesticides to possible bee losses. It is well known that certain pesticides, typically those used in high doses on GM crops, are very toxic to bees. But what about possible health problems relating to the direct feeding of GM corn syrup to commercial bees? What about the sterile pollen from GM kill seeds? Why are these things not mentioned?

In many cases, scientists have found evidence of almost all known bee viruses in the few surviving bees found in the hives after most have disappeared. Some had five or six infections at the same time and were infested with fungi - a sign, experts say, that the insects' immune system may have collapsed.

The scientists are also surprised that bees and other insects usually leave the abandoned hives untouched. Nearby bee populations or parasites would normally raid the honey and pollen stores of colonies that have died for other reasons, such as excessive winter cold. "This suggests that there is something toxic in the colony itself which is repelling them," says Cox-Foster.

Walter Haefeker, the German beekeeping official, speculates that "besides a number of other factors," the fact that genetically modified, insect-resistant plants are now used in 40 percent of cornfields in the United States could be playing a role. The figure is much lower in Germany - only 0.06 percent - and most of that occurs in the eastern states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg. Haefeker recently sent a researcher at the CCD Working Group some data from a bee study that he has long felt shows a possible connection between genetic engineering and diseases in bees.

The study in question is a small research project conducted at the University of Jena from 2001 to 2004. The researchers examined the effects of pollen from a genetically modified maize variant called "Bt corn" on bees. A gene from a soil bacterium had been inserted into the corn that enabled the plant to produce an agent that is toxic to insect pests. The study concluded that there was no evidence of a "toxic effect of Bt corn on healthy honeybee populations." But when, by sheer chance, the bees used in the experiments were infested with a parasite, something eerie happened. According to the Jena study, a "significantly stronger decline in the number of bees" occurred among the insects that had been fed a highly concentrated Bt poison feed.

According to Hans-Hinrich Kaatz, a professor at the University of Halle in eastern Germany and the director of the study, the bacterial toxin in the genetically modified corn may have "altered the surface of the bee's intestines, sufficiently weakening the bees to allow the parasites to gain entry - or perhaps it was the other way around. We don't know."

http://archive.truthout.org/article/are-gm-crops-killing-bees

[Buzz Clik]

18. Because there is no evidence of a connection between GMOs and CCD.

[FedUpWithIt All]

23. Agenda much?

I mean it is a little blatant.

Hard to find connections in places you refuse to look. That is why it is so interesting that the manufacturer of GMO's went on to buy one of the main research companies looking into CCD and that the study linked above, which involves the GMO manufacturer masquerading as a "bee researcher", makes NO MENTION of the GMOs

Monsanto tried to pull the same type of thing with rat studies.

http://redgreenandblue.org/2012/09/30/yes-scientists-are-attacking-the-latest-monsanto-study-but-not-because-of-the-science/

[Buzz Clik]

31. My statement is in your quote. Did you bother to read your own stuff?

My agenda is to not let bullshit pass for truth.

[Berlum]

25. Yes there is. Corporate propagandists (R) lie systematically about the ugly GMO reality

Last edited Fri May 3, 2013, 12:17 PM - Edit history (1)

"...But scientists believe that exposure to toxic pesticides is only one factor that has led to the decline of honey bees in recent years. The destruction and fragmentation of bee habitats, as a result of land development and the spread of monoculture agriculture, deprives pollinators of their diverse natural food supply. This has already led to the extinction of a number of wild bee species.

"The planting of genetically modified organism (GMO) crops – some of which now contain toxic insecticides within their genetic structure – may also be responsible for poisoning bees and weakening their immune systems..."

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

[lovuian]

29. Europe have banned the seeds with the pesticides

yes its part of the equation

GMO is going to kill off the Bees

all over the world

[bobduca]

30. Yes the multinationals that make the poisons should be involved in the study

credibility 2.0

[lovuian]

27. The Honeybee is going extinct...how long do we wait

Pesticides and GMO have killed off the Bee...how long does America wait ....Europe has banned the pesticides
its now time for Congress to come to grips....losing the Bee...has tremendous consequences

China has lost their Bee populations and are hand populating

Europe's bees were going extinct and America's are to

we need to put the Bee on the endangered list