EPA and Bayer Sued for Bee Deaths
Researched by Kerry Headley
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has evidence of connections between pesticides and the mysterious honey bee die-offs known as “colony collapse disorder” reported across the US, according to leading bee experts and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC.) The NRDC sued when the EPA refused to disclose the results of studies concerning the toxicity of neonicotinoids — a new class of insecticides manufactured by Bayer CropScience that impact the central nervous system of insects. Both Germany and France banned similar neonicotinoids due to concerns about their impact on bees. A German coalition filed charges against Bayer claiming they lost thousands of hives after poisoning by the pesticide clothianidin. Colony collapse disorder has claimed more than one-third of honey bees in the US since it was first identified in 2006. In France, approximately 90 billion bees died over the past 10 years, reducing honey production by up to 60 percent. EPA has failed to respond to NRDC’s Freedom of Information Act request for agency records concerning the toxicity of pesticides to bees, forcing the legal action.
“EPA Buzz Kill: Is the Agency Hiding Colony Collapse Information?” Josh Mogerman, Natural Resource Defense Council.org, 8/18/2008 http://www.nrdc.org/media/2008/080818a.asp
“German Coalition Sues Bayer over Pesticide Honey Bee Deaths” Environmental News Service, ENS Newswire.com, 8/26/2008 http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2008/2008-08-25-01.asp
Comments (1)
Harry Sheerer Reported on his Program ‘La Show’ somtime in December of this year that, the Dept of Agriculture reported that the MEGA hive die offs were caused by a toxin that is created by the pasteurizing of HFCS this is toxic to the bees in large concentrations. This would explain why it’s only the Mega hives that have been having problems. (They are fed HFCS exclusively.
At last years slow food fest at the agriculture museum in New Brunswick NJ all (And We asked them all) the people who keep bees that were at the fest. Most of the local small farmers do keep bees. told when asked about this to My wife and me that their hives were fine and show no problems.
This was also the case with a few farmers who not only kept hives for their own farm but transported them to other farms for fertilization of their fruit crops.
This is only occuring in the extreamly large hives. Factory farming does not produce the best of the best but destroyies the land for all.