Certainly wouldn't want to pollinate crops by hand, that's for sure.

Strange that something meant to kills insects, kills insects.

Sounds to me like they have. Of course, the people who are making money of this will deny, deny, deny.

This might be one of the most critical aspects on produce development. Without bees, most pollination would not occur.

Here we go again. Remember DDT? Products are approved and mass marketed before all the consequences of their use is known. Sell that crap and get the money rolling in. Let the grand kids worry about the consequences.

Here we go again. Remember DDT?

And people talk sh*t about the EPA, where the EPA is the agency trying to stop sh*t like that from happening.

What, we want to live in China? No thanks, I like breathing.

No matter what the level of the chemical was, behavior was modified in a negative way. Once the bees are gone it will be stupid to have to say, "Oops, that was it". Since a link does exist between the pesticide and bee behavior, wouldn't it be prudent to stop using it until it is proven safe? Wouldn't we do that if it was humans? And when you look at it right, it directly impacts humans if the bees die.

The politicians have to man up and take some of the responsibility for this. Back when a Senator Proxmire used to gove out what he called "Golden Fleece Awards" in which he portrayed numerous grants and contracts as wasteful. He was the guy alledging the $600 toilet seats, etc.

But one of his pet "awards" was to a small NIS grant to study the effects of perticides on European honeybees. He called this wasteful because it was studying "European" honeybees when American honeybees were able to "take care of themselves." The resulting public uproar causes NIS to cancel several grants and until very very recently it was impossible to get a federal grant to study anything to do with bees and wasps. Many scientific specialists left or changed specialties. As a result there was virtually no one left in the field when the sudden hive collapse situation started. It turned out that Proxmire was wrong. The European honeybee was brought to this country by early colonists because they are large, easy to handle in colonies, are huge honey producers, annd are not aggressive in addition to being the best known crop pollinators.

And about China, I think that was where people had to hand pollinate fruit trees, pears I think, because all the local bees had already died. The supporting ecosystem of flowering plants is gone, so they can't just be reintroduced.

I'm getting my first hive this spring. Bees are wonderful little creatures! I hope they survive or we are screwed!

There is a film about this called "The Vanishing of the Bees". It demonstrates the phenomenon very clearly. Other countries have already banned the use of these pesticides, but as usual, the US is in denial about it, shortsightedly insisting that corporate profit is more important than our food supply.

Wakehead, best statement yet; you should be a advisor to the Government agency that approves these poisons, they sure as hell can use some help; we have killed off wild , southern quail, very few left, pelicans , just coming back, Eagles just coming back; I remember as a young child,(ww-2) we were stationed at a POW camp in Florida, once a month we all had a good dousing of powder DDT, cannot understand why I developed allergies as a young kid !l

But, but, we can't make the polluters pay, the 'job creators' must be allowed to pollute and poison anything they want because goddammit, its all about the profits, people!(sarc) The profits, I might add, that don't go to those of us affected by the damage , it all goes to the perpetrators - hell, they don't even have to pay when we KNOW how harmful it is. Bees are one of the most important part of the food chain and this has been getting worse for the last few years.

Farmers need to go to more organic ways of combating pests. There are many out there that are doing this successfully. You wonder why there are so many diseases people are suffering from compared to 100 years ago, you only need to look at what we are eating to find out why. Look at how our food is chemically treated when growing and then chemically treated to preserve it. It all adds up folks and many of these chemicals are stored in your body.

I predict the bees will all die, and then Congress will legislate pollenation.

I think it's all a little more complicated than simply blaming govt for not knowing the effects of the various chemicals they authorize. Take DDT. It was originally thought to be a cure-all for insect control, but it took a while for the negative effects to be noticed and linked to it. Unfortunately, by the time we learn these things, the companies manufacturing it have a vested interest in denying the data and it takes overwhelming evidence before we can act. The tobacco lobby still ensures a cancer-causing product is legal.

It's hard to test for everything. If we tried, we might never authorize anything at all. Although as Wakehead points out, testing this particular chemical on bees was probably a no brainer.

I love bees, and this comes from a guy that swells up pretty damned good when stung (mild allergy) and was terrified of them when he was younger

"The honey bee is not native to North America; it was introduced from Europe for honey production in the early 1600s, Johnston said. Subspecies were introduced from Italy in 1859, and later from Spain, Portugal and elsewhere."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/12/061211220927.htm

So what did all the pollinating before the honey bees arrived?

Max^108:

Don't buy your bees. Before they start swarming, call someone at city hall or your county courthouse and find out who handles the panicked phone calls from citizens when a swarm magically appears in a tree near their house. Most people don't know the swarm will be gone very shortly. That's your good fortune. Usually the government folks will call you and tell you where there's a swarm. Just take your hive, and put it under a swarm. Give the branch a good strong tug and they'll fall right into your hive.

Folks think you're a hero, and you have happy bees and mucho honey.

By the way, that's a hell of a standard for pesticide toxicity. Don't kill 'em, just take them to the edge of death. The fatal effects of nicotine and derivatives is no secret. Smoke the stuff and it'll kill you. Soak some butts in water, take the resultant solution and spray it on aphids that collect on roses. The stuff is as deadly as it gets. The nasty bugs are dead in minutes. Of course, it's indiscriminate so it kills even the beneficial insects.

Remember, Monsanto is your friend. The bee die-off couldn't possibly have anything to do with genetically modified organisms. How do I know? Monsanto said so. Better dying through chemistry.

Yes, farmers need to change their ways, but it's funny "I heard" a tidbit and pulling numbers out of your ass is wrong. The "tidbit" I heard was it was the townspeople who are equally to blame for their polluting our lakes and rivers with their perfect lawns. Just saying percentages is b.s.

Denver Bill...imagine that, dung beetles writing legislation about other insects.

I would bet anything that Monsanto has something to do with this. They are an evil company that only cares about profit and controlling the worlds food supply. They will cut their nose off to spite their face to make a profit now. Who cares what happens to the world tomorrow.

I'd say they better look into this very quickly and even a remote chance is cause to at least suspend its use. All the $$$ worries and EPA bashing aside, bees are critical to our survival, end of story. I like to eat and imagine everyone else who post on here likes too (needs too) as well. The reduced crop output from insect destruction by not using this chemical is nothing compared to the reduced output if we lose bees. Unless this is the job program some talk about? Kill the bees then hire a bunch of low paid workers to pollinate by hand, which I mind you would be only a fraction as good as what a bee does. This is a no brainer and a clear warning from mother nature about what will happen if we don't change our ways. No reason this shouldn't be a top news story from the onset. This effects everyone hands down and is very important to the human race.

It is time

Other bees. Probably native yellow jackets and bumble bees. Honey bees are probably more efficient (just guessing there) and were wanted for their honey as well.

Nature does give us a lot of FREE labor. Here are just a few examples:

• Pollination - Gives us most of the food we eat.
• Clean water - Bacteria do most of the work.
• Clean air - Rain, trees, the ocean do this for us.
• Clean soil - Give air, water, sunlight with a little tilling and time, nature will clean nearly every toxic waste we put into it.

Nature is not the endangered species, we are. We'd better take care of it or it will stop taking care of us.

I am willing to bet the companies that make this pesticide will have plenty of highly paid (experts ) trying to make sure the EPA finds out that the pesticide they make has nothing to do with colony collapse.

Why does it seem to be surprising or doubtful that a chemical specifically designed to kill living creatures, might have some detrimental effect on other unintended living creatures?

Having been around the farming community for a large part of my life, I know there is sometimes a tendency to use a "more is better" approach. So these chemicals may theoretically be "safe" when used exactly as directed, but the reality is that it may often be used quite differently than the directions. Farmers don't want to waste money with overly heavy applications of farming chemicals, but if they see their crops at risk, they will do what it takes to save them. It isn't all that uncommon for the equipment to get a bit out of "calibration" too. It may not be discovered at all or maybe only after putting out a lot more, (or less), chemical than desired.

Some European studies have previously identified this issue with neonicotinoids and bees. They don't generally use it on crops anymore, but were using it in coatings on seeds. It was found that air pressure based planters could actually produce clouds of the chemicals that impacted nearby bee colonies. Their studies suggest that it may even be far more detrimental than they had already concluded.

You have to wonder too if other creatures like birds, who might see a dead or dying insect as a free meal, can also be affected through a secondary contamination. I don't believe that a lot of these potential downstream effects are very well studied or understood. When your short term goal is getting accomplished, it is easy to overlook the unintended consequences.

The very concept of pesticides and herbicides is about interrupting the natural cycle of things. Just by that very idea, one needs to realize that there are going to dangers associated with their use. Farming can be pretty labor intensive and the trend over the years has been to reduce the labor involved. The "ideal" scenario is one of "plant it and forget it" until it's time to harvest. Chemical treatments, genetic modifications and other concepts all work toward those goals. In years past when small farmers had smaller crops, they would not want to spend money unnecessarily, but would closely monitor their crops and react when conditions suggested a problem. This isn't as easy to do with large commercial farming of many thousands of acres. It's much cheaper and labor efficient to use preventative measures rather than reacting to problems. This does work well and produces big harvests which helps keep food costs down, but the questions about unintended consequences tend to get sidestepped because addressing them will cost money.

It seems like there is enough evidence here to at least suggest a move toward caution. Maybe not enough for an outright ban, but at a minimum a move to greatly restrict usage until more conclusive and agreeable results can be reached. European countries have looked at this quite a while ago and have banned or highly restricted it use. It would almost seem logical to potentially do a joint study comparing their results with ours as well as looking at how effective their bans and restrictions have been at helping out the bee population. I find it interesting that European countries seem able to react quicker than we do. I think they tend to trust their government agencies a bit more than us. We tend to be deniers until it's nearly too late. I suppose too that the companies involved are US companies and their ability to lobby is far more effective here than there.

It's not a great wiki, but here's a link on these pesticides. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neonicotinoid

You can follow some of the other links there to learn more.

I suspect too that the original testing done on the chemical's effects on bees was looking for dead bees. If they didn't die immediately, it was likely assumed to be safe. It's doubtful that they interviewed exposed bees or did long term studies on there lives after exposure.

By the way, honey is a natural antibiotic. It's extract is in most antibiotic ointments.

I know that Monsanto is the whipping boy of the week, but Bayer produces the lion's share of the neonicotinoids, with generic names of imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiomethoxam, and proprietary names too numerous to mention. They're everywhere. If you want to read a Yankee study, go to PLos One and find the paper written by scientists from Purdue University. If we can't get Jackson at the EPA to do her job and ban the nics, we may have to boycott Bayer. Let's be true children of Mother Nature and not matricidal.

As the big conglomerates try to increase profits, they succeed in destroying all life on the planet.

No more pollenation, no more food.

There are alternatives to the honey bee when it comes to pollenation, but they're not nearly as practical.

If the information is coming from scientists, it is just a liberal plot to attack big business. Liberals want
communism. There is no problem with pestacides and bees. Besides, I don't want bees in my food.
This is just like global warming, another liberal plot advanced by scientists to end our life as we know it. The next thing you know and they will be forcing us all to eat broccoli and buy health insurance.

And besides, everyone knows food comes from the grocery store and is made in big factories in China. It doesn't grow outside. Those farmers need to keep their grubby hands off my food!

The pesticide trade group "CropLife America" is going to be the "British Petroleum" of 2012.

Their typical response of "We do more good than harm" will rocket them to the top of "The World's Most Reviled" list.

American farmers should think again about who they want speaking for them.

Monsanto needs to be DESTROYED the sooner the better in my opinion

It is the most evil, insidious and demonic corporation that has ever existed...it needs to be destroyed as soon as possible

Son: You ain't heard the half of it. What they don't own outright they have their tentacles into. They aren't alone in this, BTW, they're just one of the largest. I'm posting a link and if anyone wants to understand how Monsanto controls massive amounts of the world's food production, do a little research, quite fascinating and if you have any sense of decency, your blood will begin to boil. Notice as well that Monsanto is helped by politicans from both sides of the aisle, Harry Reid being one of the more corrupt SOB's on capitol hill.

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/12/13/how-monsanto-owns-an.html

Very funny, Northern Lights!

Removing the neonicotinoid pesticide does result in recovery of the bees colonies. This is completely a no brainer. Ban this crap before it destroys agriculture as we know it.

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

Dear Son-Of-Anubis,

Don't you know it is against the law to speak badly of a food corporation? You might hurt their profits. You can be arrested for what you just said.

Northernlights: Guess SonofAnubis and I are gonna get in serious trouble...

http://www.bestmeal.info/monsanto/facts.shtml

http://www.rense.com/general20/re.htm

http://tumblr.com/tagged/monsanto

Honey is also the only food that never spoils.

Northern Light -in the -head

You're an idiot!

We just have to let the Market call the shots and everything will be fine. Science = regulations and that just clouds the waters.

NO. I'm not serious!

@hs321:

there are other pollinators, but they are not as efficient. Prior to large scale farming introduced by Europeans and in particular prior to modern industrialized farming there was no need for large scale polllinization the way there is today. While we can go out and pollinate our crops by hand, this is a highly inefficient way of doing business. I've grown tomatoes and peppers indoors over the winter and it's a pain in the butt doing just a few dozen plants by hand, let alone acres of them. i'd rather lose some crops to pests than have to deal with the consequences of a complete collapse of the pollinator population.

The best time of almost every day is the time spent in my garden - it nourishes the soul - the food nourishes the body. Add, if that wasn't enough, when I'm digging I'm not thinking about things I don't like to think about. I do think about dirt a lot, though, as I dig. Very intersting stufff when you get right down to it.

Dear mygirl1,

Great links.

I think it was in the movie Food, Inc. that I learned it is illegal to sue a food company. Those lawsuits against the farmers for patent infringment are totally backwards. The farmers should be sueing Monsanto for contaminating their seed crop.

It's 100% Obama's fault.

Hopefully they definitively find a cause soon.

I think you assume that all honey bee colony deaths are caused by CCD... that's simply not the case. Bees are dying off becaue of multiple problems, from Mites to Nosema Ceranae to pesticides that weaken the colonies. CCD is just one more malady that bees face, it's not the sole killer of bees... not even close.

Also, we know for a fact that neonics don't cause CCD, we know this because multiple countries have banned neonics and had them banned for many many years now and those nations have still had cases of CCD. But neonics DO harm honey bee colonies and do cause colonies to die off. We also know that neonics cause more colonies to die off than standard pesticides that are sprayed on crops and have a short half-life.

Northernlights: Another interesting case that is germane not only to food production and personal consumption but also ties into the Obamacare debate is Wickard v. Filburn. Filburn was a farmer who grew more wheat than what his allotment allowed. Filburn argued that his wheat was strictly for personal consumption and no ways involved the interstate commerce clause. He lost.

So, what many people aren't aware of is that that law still stands. Coupled with the new 'Food Safety' laws, it is now the Federal Government who can decide what you grow and if you give your neighbor your extra zucchini from the garden you are breaking the law and no, I am not making this up.

This relates to bees and pesticides and food and the Federal government and control and lobbying. The massive and polluting companies are given a 'pass' when it comes to what they do, the little farmer, the home gardener, the small dairy farmer however....

They have found the greatest single contributor to Bee Colony destruction is this particular type of pesticide. Monsanto wants to protect its profits. They count on people believing nonsense about the studies being flawed so that they can continue to reap huge profits, Monsanto is not your friend.

I'm sure all the right-wing lip-jaws will try to blame this on Obama...

I believe that insecticides in food and water in combination with genetic susceptibility will eventually be proved to be the leading cause of autism. The brain is very fragile, and like the bees, you do not need lethal doses to have an effect on behaviors. The bees lose their way - people loose aspects of social behavior. Same cause - different neurological effect.

I believe that insecticides in food and water in combination with genetic susceptibility will eventually be proved to be the leading cause of autism.

and I believe you'll be wrong. I suspect that like honey bee deaths, a number of factors will be at play and the elimination of any one factor will only reduce the cases by a little bit.

Great story! These days a lot of city folks keep bees as well. If you put the hive on the roof they are really problem-free in the urban setting.

You know, it isn't and never really was about other endangered species. If we trash the ecosystem, most if not all of us are going to die.

Honey is a natural form of sugar, but much better for you than granulated sugar.

I agree, great story. Too bad you had to get rid of your hives. Maybe you should have bought a small farm.

I have a lot of bumble bees that buzz around my vegetable garden as I am working in it. I watch as they work their little butts off, gathering nectar and fertilizing my vegetables. Amazing workers.

Bumble bees are very good polinators of blueberry bushes, much better than honey bees.

I too love seeing the bees in my garden. What a wonderful sight! Raspberries...aaaaaaahhhh

@softdude: amen to that! I have nothing against free markets and industrialization, but I do think we have to be more responsible and some regulation isn't a bad thing. Even the most hardened industrialist and free market advocate has to see that destruction of the environment endangers us all. We all have to breathe the same air and drink the same water. The trouble is that we are faced with a multifaceted group of denialists out there, who, for multiple reasons, do not want to acknowledge that our actions have consequences. Not all chemicals are bad, and just because something is found in nature it's not necessarily safe either (mercury and arsenic are all natural). The point is, there is room for both chemicals made in industrial factories and those made by mother nature, we just need to study them a little more before we mass produce and dowse our food in them.

I love love love honey bees and bumble bees, every time I see them I can't wait to get my flowers outside for them to start playing in. We found a honey bee in our house and took the utmost care to remove him and place him back outside, a respect we don't typically give other bugs that venture into our house. The weather this season has been unusually warm so I've been holding off on flowers until I'm sure we don't get any cold snaps but with all the bees out I think I'll be planting soon!

I'm not surprised at all that these pesticides are linked to poor bee populations, (kind of a 1+1= 2) and as such we never use pesticides in any of our gardens, we can handle a few lost fruits and vegetables and we feel much better eating 'cleaner' food that is free from all the toxins.

1. 1. Max^108
   2. Great story! These days a lot of city folks keep bees as well. If you put the hive on the roof they are really problem-free in the urban setting.

Howdy Max,

Its nice to see you take a break from your usual Israel hate to post something positive.

First. If anyone wants to keep bees within city limits they should check the local codes first, then a lawyer...Then pray a neighbor "with allergies" that knows about you doesn't get stung by a hornet. What a wonderful world we live in. Try advertising at your food coop for a home nearby in the outskirts where beekeeping is OK'd to host your hives etc. Locating your local beekeeping club and joining it is a great way if not, the best way to get started. Subscribe to at least one jounal. You can possibly get free bees by contacting your local county agricultural extention and getting on their call list. Also notifying your local exterminators that you are interested in bee collection for swarms. Bees already residing in residential woodwork most likely will have to be soaped down. (killed). :(

Keeping bees just isn't as easy as it was 35-40 years ago when I started, but is it is still worth it.

If you've ordered bees you will be getting them soon. I hope you have all your stuff lined up. Goodluck. Beekeeping is a transformative endevour. I wish that upon anyone that takes it up.

PS. Israeli scientists are among the leaders in bee research.

PPS "Beekeeping" should be restored as a merit badge :-)

Keeping Mason bees is a great and interesting and afordable endeavor as well. It is city friendly as well and nurtures the existence of this wonderful pollinator.

We found a honey bee in our house and took the utmost care to remove him...

Not to quibble, but it was more than likely a "her". The vast majority of bees you might encounter in daily life, and who might accidentally find their way into your house, are the female worker bees. The males are quite rare by comparison and mostly only busy themselves about the queen.

mostly only busy themselves about the queen.

Only if she's a new queen going on mating flights. Queens only mate for a few days early in their lives, they store all the sperm they use to fertilize the eggs they will lay for the rest of their lives in specialized organs.

Good one. They had to go to college and study for years to figure that out. :-)

Beelieve it or not (sorry bad pun), there are many pesticides that are not harmful to honey bees.

Here's the reason "we" allow pesticide manufacturers to keep destroying our environment, E. Webster: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!

This country is run by big money interests who totally own the political scene. In a very real sense we are now a backward country. Those who think otherwise havent opened their eyes.

I don't understand how we can allow pesticide manufacturers to destroy our environment for future generations

Because they have a powerful lobby, and to corporations the definition of long-term is "End of the quarter."

That's simple, Webster. Our lawmakers and courts must stand up for the rights of corporations to do anything (and I mean ANYTHING) they feel they have to in order to make a profit. That is of course the founding principle behind America - just ask a conservative.

That's all very nice and all, but the fact is that there's a lot more money to be lost from crashing bee populations than restricting the sale of chemicals, and farmers have a MUCH stronger lobby.

The obvious answer is that this link simply hadn't been established before. This is a certain kind of pesticide that's causing the damage; have any studies established a correlation with other kinds? No? Then maybe people just didn't know.

If we had to test every product for every conceivable negative impact we could imagine before it was put to market, we'd never get anything done. How would you like to wait sixty years for the release of a mobile phone until we make ABSOLUTELY SURE it has no impact on cancer rates?

It's enough that the science got done and a solution is in sight. Put a temporary ban in place, and see if the situation improves. Or if the pesticide is that important to farming, perhaps a type of bee immune to the chemical can be bred. Blame is cheap. Solutions are important.

SF, the ban has been implemented in Europe and the bee populations recovered.

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

This country is a cesspool now. Its all about money. Forget our environment, forget about starving children, forget about our elderly, forget about our disabled. Its all about money, money, money, and whose account is the largest, at any cost.

That's all very nice and all, but the fact is that there's a lot more money to be lost from crashing bee populations than restricting the sale of chemicals, and farmers have a MUCH stronger lobby.

Beekeepers have a very very weak lobby. I'm not even sure the NHB even does any lobbying in Washington. Apart from distributing a few recipes that use honey, I don't think they do a damn thing to be honest with you.

Very good point, Dismayed. I'm pretty shocked this is even still being talked about. Reaaallly hope they don't do it. We live in a Beautiful place and would really like to keep it that way.

Then can't you just plant them isolated from other crops and vegetation?

Just because something has a negative impact doesn't mean that it should be banned outright. Sometimes the problem can be fixed, or at least the harm reduced significantly.

I can guarantee you that the canola will be a genetically modified version with the patent owned by Monsanto.

Most crops we grow are hybrids in common words we dont need cross pollination, Canola has been genetically modified for decades, its called roundup ready. Canola does not hurt other plants either by the way, people on this vine are to far removed from the farm!

Most crops we grow are hybrids in common words we dont need cross pollination

LOL, yeah we do. Hybrid does not mean that it does not require a pollinator. Even the few varieties of self-pollinated crops have much higher yields when they receive cross-pollination.

Wow! Talk about misinformation. Hybrids are not all self pollinating. Canola is a destructive crop and most Canola growers destroy the land they grow it on to the point it is only productive when it is saturated with chemicals and manufactured fertilizers. This isn't about politics or personal opinion. It is about destruction of the ecosystem by loss of primary pollinators (Honey bees). In Continental Europe where they have banned neonicitinomides the bee colonies have been recovering. Even the yoyos posting against the validity of the two major studies should be able to recognize the principle of cause and effect.

The "market forces" will be a shortage of food. Which will raise prices. Which will line the pockets of everyone involved.

what market forces will stop the peticiide companies from selling chemicals that kill honeybees

An imploding economy due to mass starvation because of crop failures?

An imploding economy due to mass starvation because of crop failures?

Wasn't there an article awhile ago on MSN that we trash like 40% of our food anyway?

Markets rely on information like anything else. If producers didn't know this, how would they correct for it?

When the damage from lost bees becomes greater than the benefit from using these pesticides (and it probably has already reached that point), then market forces tilt the other way and farmers won't use those pesticides. Hell, this situation is convenient in that the product in question directly damages the livelihood of those that use it, so you can bet that the market will correct this. Farmers don't want to pay for a chemical to protect their crops from pests just to reduce their base yield.

Just put more petroleum based chemical fertilizers on the crops and they will grow without the bees.....

SF accountant - All fine in theory until you learn the history of deliberate disinformation by corporations and corporate lobby groups (e.g.: The tobacco industry, Monstanto, etc.). There is a very clearly established history of companies deliberately fighting the release of information that would delay someone like the farmer in your example to make that decision for as long as possible - in the name of profit.

(Please don't try to insult people's intelligence by denying that happens - Google and other search engines are an amazing tool for finding specific examples...)

Thanks for bringing that up Steve - I remember that. WTH?!

I hadn't heard much about CCD since that study was published. Is it still a problem or are these guys just way late in being published?

There was not a discovery in 2010. It was determined that the CCD was probably a result of exposure to one or more pathogens and/or a lowered resistance to pathogens.

The neonicotinoids are immunosuppresive, and the bees are dying from an infection or mixed infections that are not fatal when their immune systems are functioning. Compare it to the infections that kill prople with aids that unaffected people survive, build immunity, and are thereafter solidly immune. Or cancer, it is more a symptom of immunosuppression than a disease entity by itself.

The fungus/mite infestation problem may be an issue in some cases of colony collapse, but is not as pervasive as the problem with neonicotinoids. Also I can just about guarantee that the study on fungus was funded by the manufacturer of the pesticide. Eschew obfuscation.

Bees are dying off for a multitude of reasons, NOT just because of CCD. We know neonics don't cause CCD, but we also know that neonics DO weaken bee colonies which does cause some colonies to die off. It's one of many afflictions of bees. It just happens to be one that humans have control over.

Huey, Steve,

Where they have banned these pesticides the bee colonies are recovering....get it? So when we find a cause that we can eliminate, we should do that becuse it is a very positive step toward correcting the problem. Oh never mind. Just go on with what you were doing before we distracted you.

Paul - we can dump the crap back on in a new york second so yeah - let's give it a shot! Let nature alone for a few freaking months...

The pesticide industry will find themselves a conservative Republican candidate open to being corrupted that will fight you every tooth and nail of the way - calling it all a hoax.

"The pesticide industry will find themselves a conservative Republican candidate open to being corrupted that will fight you every tooth and nail of the way - calling it all a hoax."

Fat chance. Farmer's lobbies have an iron grip on Republican lawmakers, and this is an issue that directly impact their livelihood. Pesticides? That's small beans compared to what's at stake. Nobody's going to defend them.

It only takes one wacko to fillabuster. Forget the 60% majority, it will soon have to be 100% majority to pass any legislation.

I have a crazy idea...lets ban the pesticide and see if things get better...are ya with me?

It's been done already in Europe:

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

...lets ban the pesticide and see if things get better

We don't even have to wait to see... several nations have already banned it and things have improved for their bees.

Nope - they only go after things with easy pass-thoughs like coal and natural gas.

Welcome to the Corporate States of America!

Yes. This is all fake. A liberal plot. There will be much more than 15 billion spent on "educating" the public that there is no problem and paying off right-wing members of congress.

Sustenance farming? As in, everone needs to grow their own food? No thanks.

Did anyone notice the other headline today - about 1 in 88 kids diagnosed with autism, and how autism is on the rise. Am I the only one who thinks there may be a connection between all the pesticides and other poisons we're putting out there in our water, air, food, etc., and diseases? Do any of you think there might be a connection? Or am I dipping into the honey jar too often?

Rainlady, there are studies that link ADHD to measurable levels of pesticides in children, from food. The possibility of pesticides causing Autism is certainly plausible.

What does GMO crops have to do with this?

If the world population continues to grow (and barring an Earth-shaking calamity, it will), we'll need stronger and more efficient crops to survive.

That does mean we have to learn what works and what doesn't, of course. And nothing helps experimentation like implementation!

GMO crops, in many cases, have the pesticides built right into the plant. I worry much more about what GMO crops do to organisms with short life spans (i.e. - bees) than what they do to organisms with long life spans (i.e. - humans)

SF accountant: one major problem is that GMO crops don't reproduce themselves. Great for the seed companies: everyone is forced to buy their seed, OR ELSE.... not so good for the cycle of life.

GMOs to create more food will only result in MORE HUMANS. All biologic species on this earth respond with high reproduction levels in the face of more food and crash when the food supply is exhausted for whatever reason. This will happen to us too if we aren't careful. So, instead of trying to figure out how to feed an increasing human population with GMOs we need to start thinking how we are going to seriously LIMIT our numbers and stop messing around with the genetics of every living being on this earth. Just because we can doesn't mean we should.

There are a lot of concerned people who have posted some really smart and insightful comments regarding CCD. As a beekeeper myself I will tell you from first hand experience, they are literally here today and gone tomorrow. We seem not to care that we are putting our own food supply on the chopping block (over fishing oceans, threatening the most effecient pollenator on earth, for example), we seem only to care about profit. (Like that post: Corporate States of America, good one and right on target.)

This is what I want to know: When in the hell are we going to STAND UP as a PEOPLE and refuse this and all the rest of the crap that is getting handed to us by the idiots that call themselves our representatives? When are we really going to start caring about clean air, clean water, productive soils, ecologic function? When are we going to tell ourselves that stuff and more stuff isn't the most important thing on earth? When we have time to thoughtfully consider and implement the turn around, guided by the sure and true hand of science? Or will we wait until our backs are on the wall, and people are murdered by their neighbors in their quest to survive, with insane maniacs fueling it on with fundamentalism? When? Which scenario do you like? What the animals, see what they do when faced with a food shortage. Check out the Snowy Owl irruption in the USA this winter. Direct connect between reproduction, food and die off.

Barak Obama said something to this effect: WE are the ones we are waiting for. Yep, on this point he is right. It's up to us. It always has been. When will we care enough to say in the words of Stokley Charmichael, "Hell no, we ain't goin'" God, I hope we don't have to start dying in the street before we take action, I hope the gods don't have to beat us in the head before we figure it out.

The time is now.

Power to the People. Peace, my brothers and sisters and to all my relations. s.

SFaccountant.

I guess you should bone up on GMO crops. One of the main new GMOs is pesticide and herbicide resistant crops designed so you can spray more pesticides and herbicides on them without killing them. Now, that really sounds like a great idea doesn't it. We obviously need more pesticides and herbicides ( Like Dioxin, Agent Orange, the nico group etc.) so we can all have pretty vegetables. or be pretty vegetables, right?

And, what? You trust the GOVERNMENT to do it instead?

Never mind that they're just as corrupt and likely to yield to the interests of contributors, but you also have gross incompetence and inefficiency to deal with too.

As far as I can tell, the manufacturers did nothing illegal, following the FDA's standards as they were required. These pesticides aren't effective against bees, and no further testing was done until now.

Wrong! they destroy the nervous system of bees. Bees are communal, and they communicate to the other members of the hive community through a very intricate dance they do. The disruption of their nervous system makes this ineffective destroying one of the major ways bees gather pollen. It also disrupts their ability to navigate and relocate the hive. Geee! all of this without killing them directly is okay with you?

Actually one would think any pesticide of fungicide in the air/water would kill those parasites. They must be born with super-immunity.

Alain, I hear you, but don't give yourself a stroke over it. With any luck: cheney's new heart won't be able to survive in such an acidic environment. After all, he received a REAL heart!

One down.....

Recovering, FYI, not global warming anymore, it's climate change which is a far more accurate description. Don't count CO2 out of the equation just yet. It, like the pesticides being discussed, might need to be around for a while before the true impact and damage are felt. The fact that some extremely smart and educated people, along with Mother Earth herself, are warning us should be enough to make us sit bolt upright and listen. Environmental regulation is ALWAYS warranted as human beings are 100% dependent upon the environment for survival. Whether we believe that or not is only a measure of our level of ignorance and disconnect. Our belief or disbelief absolutely does not change the fact.

Give it a rest K. How many lefty farmers get paid to NOT work?????

"lefty farmers".. LOL!!!

That was funny... I live in WI. Dairy farming country.. I would suspect that most of those farmers are relatively conservative, and work pretty hard..

I think most of the "lefty farmers" are out west,... bringing in the "bud"..:)

The only "lefty farmers" are the illegals working as farmhands in the West and South.

Duh!

K1200

Right on the money.

Really? We discover that a pesticide has an unfortunate effect on bees and this is evidence of humanity's inevitable extinction?

Dramatize much?

You are either crazy or joking. Pesticides kill people, bees and many other things. Since the FDA and EPA allowed these chemicals to be used in the late 80's and early 90's cancer has become an epidemic.

Pesticides cause cancer or contribute to it, we need to ban all pesticides! EPA and the FDA can give a crap about people, only lobiest and their own corporate pocket liners!

You got that right, David. Without jobs, how would we get the money to buy food?

It would solve our unemployment problem. EPA could start hiring people to pollinate. Brilliant idea.

No, it won't work. I live in farm country, row crops, like tomatos, cukes, etc. There aren't ANY white or black people around who would be willing to hand pollinate crops. The only ones who might consider it are the people who are out there sweating in 90 degree sun, the migrant Hispanics. Leave it to whites and blacks to work those fields? LOLOLOLOLOLOL. That will be the day.

And we can't keep it to the birds and the bees. Later idiots.

Why are you leaving a comment for idiots? What does that make you?

Jazz not interesting just your stupidity! Not true.