A local beekeeper in Elmwod, Canada has reported that after GMO corn was planted close to his farm he lost over 37 million bees. Beekeeper, Dave Schuit, and other local beekeepers believe neonicotinoids, or “neonics” are to blame for the influx of bee deaths.
From the article:
“Imidacloprid and Clothianidin, two of Bayer CropScience’s most widely used pesticide, both contain neonics and have been linked with many large-scale bee ‘die-offs’ in both European and U.S. countries. However, despite the dangers associated with the use of this chemical, the pesticides are still regularly used and sold on the market.
Despite their size, the impact bees have on the environment is almost unparalleled. In fact, bees are responsible for pollinating about one-sixth of the flowering plant species worldwide and approximately 400 different agricultural types of plant.”
In 2010, bees helped provide over $19 billion worth of agricultural crops in the U.S alone (estimated to be almost one-third of the food we eat)- with some of those crops being 90% dependent on bees (like blueberries and cherries) and almonds 100 percent dependent on the work they do- even though bee populations have continued to drop over the past few decades. In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that last year 44 percent of honeybee colonies in the U.S., died off.
While scientists have tried to figure out why bee populations are in rapid decline, many believe there is a strong link between the use of the pesticide and a phenomenon they refer to as “colony collapse disorder” (CCD).
The exact cause of CCD is still widely debated, but many believe neonicotinoid pesticides are to blame. And according to a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, neonicotinoid pesticides kill honeybees, “by damaging their immune system and making them unable to fight diseases and bacteria,” reports Your News Wire.
And while we don’t have concrete proof that the neonicotinoid pesticides are at fault, more and more countries are also beginning to accept this idea: Canada has banned the use of Imidacloprid on sunflower and corn fields; France has rejected Bayer’s application for Clothianidin; Italy has now banned certain neonicotinoids, and the European Union has banned multiple pesticides.
Although the United States has yet to follow suit (we always seem to be about 10 years behind the EU in everything- even fashion trends) several states including California, Alaska, New York, and Massachusetts, are currently considering legislation that would ban neonicotinoids. And just last month, Maryland became the first state in the union to pass a neonic-restricting bill; Maryland’s Pollinator Protection Act eliminates consumer use of neonicotinoids in the state.
We cannot live without bees. They are responsible for more than we could ever do in any given growing season. The time to figure out what’s going on has LONG passed.
Source: Your News Wire
