This is more on the issue of ColonyCollapse Disorder through the work of Tom Philpott. I also copied the comments to give us a tasteof the ongoing debate before we all make up our minds on the issue.
Without question though, whateverwe may think of the husbandry, the neo-nicotinoids appear to be the tippingpoint. We are seeing shoddy researchput in place to hustle the regulator and now we are seeing denial andobfuscation as the effects become obvious.
Since it has been already bannedin Germany
The argument that otherinsecticides are also found in the pollen is a bit of a red herring. The particular class appears to have acumulative effect even at low concentrations and thus far more lethal.
Most telling though is theexperiment in which dead bees known to be exposed tested clean. We simply cannot tell from the dead beesthemselves with any confidence.
On top of that, exposed bees are sealing off affected pollen in their hives which tells us that the bees know the source of their problems.
Matt Ridley’s optimistic, but not so rational, take on beecollapse
BY TOM PHILPOTT
31 JAN 2011 5:33 PM
http://www.grist.org/article/2011-01-31-matt-ridley-optimistic-but-not-so-rational-take-on-bee-collapse
This beekeeper isn't alone in worrying about Bayer'spesticide.Photo: David GoehringMyproblem with Matt Ridley's recent WallStreet Journal piece on bee collapse starts -- and more or lessends -- with his first sentence:
Some beekeepers, worried by the collapse of their bee colonies inrecent years, are pointing a finger this month at a class of insecticide(neo-nicotinoids) that they think is responsible for lowering the insects'resistance to disease.
Ridley, a veteran science journalist who calls himself the "rational optimist," goes on toargue that it could be a virus, and not Bayer CropScience's highly profitableneonicotinoid pesticides, that's behind the severe trouble now hauntinghoneybee populations. His argument seems plausible enough; I am not anentomologist, so I cannot critique it.
I suppose, to use Ridley's framework, listening to mere beekeepers onthe state of the honeybee would be irrational. But it isn't just "somebeekeepers" who think that Bayer's neonicotinoids might be harming thebees. As I've reported, EPAscientists and the USDA'stop bee specialist have independently raised serious concerns aboutwhat this class of pesticides is doing to the bees.
And in both cases, these concerns came to light not through the freedissemination of information on a key ecological issue with direct bearing onthe public interest. Rather, they were raised because of a leaked document andan interview in a documentary film that has been shown in Europe but not in theUnited States
In the case of the EPA, asI wrote, the agency has chosen to retain its registration of a Bayerneonicotinoid pesticide even after two of its own scientists rejected thescientific validity of a Bayer-funded lifecycle analysis that purported to showthat applying the poison to farm fields was safe for bees. We only know oftheir concerns about the study because an EPA employee leaked a document [PDF]to Colorado
As for the USDA scientist, the lead researcher at the USDA's BeeResearch Laboratory, Jeffery Pettis, appeared in the 2010 documentary TheStrange Disappearance of the Honeybees and described his own researchshowing that a Bayer neonicotinoid makes bees significantly more vulnerable toa harmful pathogen -- even when the pesticide is present at extremely lowlevels.
I haven't seen the documentary myself yet, but here is a transcript [PDF]of Pettis' remarks in the film. Iwrote about this after Mike McCarthy, environment editor of theU.K.-based Independent, broke the story in the English-speaking press.Pettis told McCarthy that he completed his research on neonicotinoids two yearsago and has still not published his findings. Why Pettis' research has not cometo light remains unclear; I am looking into it.
Now, it's quite possible that Ridley is simply unaware that beekeepers'concerns about neonicotinoids are backed by hard evidence from U.S. U.S.
But there is a thing called Googlesearch, and it is rational to use it before opining on a topic. Ridley maybe right that neonicotinoids have nothing to do with the plight of thehoneybees. But to credibly enter the debate, he has to engage with not justunnamed beekeepers, but also with the government scientists who have raisedconcerns.
Tom Philpott is Grist’s senior food and agriculture writer. You canfollow his Twitter feed attwitter.com/tomphilpott.
Should some pesticides be banned to protect bees? A USDA scientistdances around the question
BY TOM PHILPOTT
6 APR 2011 7:52 PM
Maury McCownAs I reportedin January, the USDA's top bee researcher, Jeffrey Pettis, has publiclyrevealed that he has completed research showing that Bayer's blockbusterneonicotinoid pesticides, used on million of acres of crops across the country,harm honeybees even at extremely low doses.
The revelation was significant because a growing number of U.S.beekeepers are worried that Bayer's pesticides might be the key culprit incolony collapse disorder -- the strange annual die-off of significant portionsof the U.S. honeybee population. In December, a leakeddocument showed that EPA scientists had declared insufficient apreviously accepted Bayer-funded study purporting to show that neonicotinoidsdon't harm honeybees in farmfields.
News of Pettis' as-yet-unpublished study has generated very littlepress in the United States United Kingdom
On the other hand, though, he pointed to yetmore evidence linking poor bee health to pesticides. According to TheGuardian, in his testimony before Parliament, Pettis discussed a new phenomenonbeing observed by beekeepers: Bees are "entombing" or sealing offsome pollen-filled cells in a hive. And when scientists test the sealed cells,they turn out to contain significantly higher levels of pesticides and othertoxins than unblocked cells in the same hive.
Here's how Pettis described the phenomenon, according to TheGuardian's account:
This is a novel finding, and very striking. The implication is that thebees are sensing [pesticides] and actually sealing it off. They are recognizingthat something is wrong with the pollen and encapsulating it ... Bees would notnormally seal off pollen.
And this novel strategy for dealing with pesticides is evidently not working,as The Guardian reports:
But the bees' last-ditch efforts to save themselves appear to beunsuccessful -- the entombing behaviour is found in many hives thatsubsequently die off, according to Pettis. "The presence of entombing isthe biggest single predictor of colony loss. It's a defence mechanism that hasfailed." These colonies were likely to already be in trouble, and theirdeath could be attributed to a mix of factors in addition to pesticides, headded.
This bit of testimony shines a harsh spotlight on pesticides among the"mix of factors" that appears to be killing honeybees. If theentombing phenomenon is "the biggest single predictor of colonyloss," then the presence of pesticides, if that is indeed what's drivingbees to entomb cells, appears to be the factor that tips troubledhives into collapse.
According to TheIndependent's account of Pettis's testimony, the scientiststressed what he called the "3-P principle -- poor nutrition, pesticides,and pathogens." (By pathogens, he's referring to the Nosema fungus and avirus called Iridoviridae, both of which appear to be present in collapsedhives.) Pettis bluntly stated that interaction between the three factors iswhat drives colony collapse disorder, The Independent reports."It's the interaction of these three [that matters]," Pettis toldParliament. "You get three of them lined up and surely you'll have bees inpoor health. Even the combination of any two could be problematic."
Now, to me, Pettis' testimony is a ringing endorsement for a ban onneonicotinoids. Think about his three factors. "Poor nutrition" stemsmainly from lack of access to diverse fields consisting of a wide variety offlowering plants -- for example, bees don't eat very well in the vast areas ofthe country characterized by monocrop industrial-scale agriculture. But U.S. agriculture has been highly industrializedfor decades, and hasn't changed dramatically since the early 2000s, when the U.S. U.S.
That leaves pesticides. No, we can't ban all pesticides. But we can banones that have been shown, in microscopic doses, to compromise bees' immunesystems, and that are expressed in the pollen of plants grown on tens ofmillions of acres across the country. Neonicotinoids fit both of thoseconditions. Pettis' own research, which he announced will be published in apeer-reviewed journal as soon as next month, found that neonicotinoids can killbees at doses "below the level of detection." And virtually theentire U.S.
Pettis hedged on the question of banning neonicotinoids beforeParliament. Here is The Indendent:
Asked if he thought a precautionary approach -- meaning perhaps a ban[of neonicotinoids] -- should be taken with some of the new pesticides, hesaid: "I'm not a regulatory person so I hate to speak to 'what should bedone'. My own view is that pesticides are one of the issues confrontingpollinators, but not the driving issue."
It's true; Pettis is a scientist, not a regulator. I hopedecision-makers at the EPA -- the regulators who oversee the pesticide industry-- are listening carefully to Pettis' analysis of pesticides and bee collapse.
Tom Philpott is Grist’s senior food and agriculture writer. You canfollow his Twitter feed at twitter.com/tomphilpott.
31 JAN 2011 7:11PM
Something that seems to be getting lost in this discussion of the Bayerregistration of Clothianidin, the specific neo-nicotinoid under fire, is thatin the registration, Bayer specifically says that Clothianidin is very harmful,indeed lethal to bees if they are introduced to it by contact or ingestion.
The argument from the Bayer defenders is that "in the field" theycontend that bees cannot come into contact with enough of the chemical to havethe described effects since the chemical is applied as a seed coating.
The studies have all shown that neo-nicotinoids are systemic, meaning that thepesticide is present throughout the entire plant, including the nectar andpollen.
Because bees don't "typically" forage on field corn, which is theprimary crop listed as intended by the Bayer registration (Canola is alsolisted, but not a major crop in the
However, the pesticide is beginning to be used on other crops beyond field cornthat bees do visit as major forage sources like cotton, sunflowers and others.
Also, the Bayer study did not research adequately the long term effects onresidual and cumulative amounts of the pesticide in the hive as pertains tolarvae and brood.
Despite having so much information lacking, both the EPA and Bayer are faultedfor having rushed yet another pesticide through the steps for registrationwithout proper and required research ...readmore
31 JAN 2011 7:18PM
Where is the bee collapse? Can anyone show me a lifelong beekeeperwhere the dead bees are? All these sorta doomsday articles on honeybee collapsestories assume that we have an ongoing collapse.
Utter nonsense. Right now the almond pollination is set to begin in CA and the1.2 million colonies are their waiting in the FEEDLOTS. As I keep having topoint out there is no ongoing random pathogen sweeping across the continentcausing hives to collapse left and right. Instead there are Industrialbeekeepers who maintain huge honeybee feedlots, with unnatural concentrationsof beehives, where GMO soy flour and Corn Syrup are fed to ramp up the beespopulation in the winter to collect the pollination fees for an Asian Nut treeblooming in North American in the midst of winter.
To stimulate colonies and prepare them for almond pollination, beekeepers nowuse patties made of corn syrup, soy flour and brewer's yeast
Tom is missing the point and is more or less unwittingly supporting the BStheories floated by the Industrial Beekeepers who created the Bayer Smokescreanto hide their own mistreatment of honeybees.
31 JAN 2011 10:20PM
@Bud Dingler I personally spoke with a half dozen bee keepers whoexperienced CCD. Not just having spans of colonies not return but also at leastone case where piles of dead bees were actually found a good distance from theoriginal hives.
31 JAN 2011 7:27PM
BigBear is getting close, here's some interesting FACTS about canolaand Bayer clothianidin
from http://www.napavalleybeecompany.com/2010/12/randy-olivers-reply-to-the-wiki-bee-leak.html
from http://www.napavalleybeecompany.com/2010/12/randy-olivers-reply-to-the-wiki-bee-leak.html
"Here is a funny fact: Bayer CropScience is the world's largest grower ofhybrid canola seed (grown in
one other HUGE fact. there is actually a shit load of studies that areuniversity driven, corporate driven and independent beekeeper driven done inthe EU and
go to google scholar and search for honeybeea and neonictinoids and Bayer orsystemic and do your homework first.
31 JAN 2011 9:23PM
@Bud Dingler
I would like to add this link to a very well documented report that summarizesseveral independent studies of neonics pre and post registration.
see the revised report at top of list
31 JAN 2011 8:03PM
While doing research for an article on CCD I found that neonicotinoidsare not found in all CCD-affected hives. The number of CCD hives with no tracesof neonicotinoids is not insignificant which means that it's not the singlesmoking gun that people seem to hope for. Is it a significant factor? Yes. Isit a single variable solution? No. There isn't one and there rarely is.
31 JAN 2011 8:28PM
@davesaunders Note that the USDA researcher found that neonics do harmeven at levels below the rate of detection.
3 FEB 2011 6:55AM
@davesaunders
Dave, the recent research by Dr Cedric Alaux in
The second part of the puzzle is the work of Alaux and - indpendently - Pettis.They found that when they fed bees a neonicotinoid at a minute doseage - andthen exposed them to a disease called Nosema - ALL the bees died of Nosema,whereas a similarly exposed control colonies did NOT die of the infection. Whenthey analysed the dead bees, which they KNEW for a fact had been dosed with theneonicotinoid - they could find NO TRACE of the insecticide. They concludedthat bees fed a known dose of neonicotinoids at - died as a result of theinsecticide weakening the immune system. but any traces of the neonic leftbehind in the pathology 'below the limit of detection'.
So we have a poison (Clothianidin) being applied to 88 million acres of Americancorn, every year ...readmore
31 JAN 2011 8:32PM
@Tom Philpott Thanks for the reminder. I did speak to some CCD peopleat the USDA and one did mention that. He's also the one who stressed that thereis no single variable issue with CCD. They believe that multiple factors areinvolved.
31 JAN 2011 9:59PM
@davesaunders Obviously multiple factors are involved. We can't controlnaturally occurring fungi or viruses. We can control widespread use ofpesticides that seem quite likely to be one of those factors.
31 JAN 2011 10:17PM
@Tom Philpott Yeah, that's all I was saying. I think there's a naturaldesire to find a single-variable smoking gun and there rarely is one.Especially when dealing with biology, things can get really complicated.
1 FEB 2011 12:53AM
@Dave Saunders
I have kept bees since I was 6 years old and am now in my 70's my dad and hisdad kept bees too for their whole lives. So beekeeping is in my blood. I knowmost of the larger beekeepers in the
Beekeeping has changed and Industrial FEEDLOT beekeeping where hugely unnaturalconcentrations of bees are kept in FEEDLOTS waiting for almond bloom to occurare fed corn syrup and soy flour all of it GMO based. This feeding is done toget the bees to raise brood in mid winter. Dave mid winter is when the colonieswould normally be at a low point in population. The fact that colonies aretrucked from all over the USA co mingled and then dispersed also adds to fasterdispersal of viruses and parasites.
In the wild honeybees space themselves 1/2 mile from each hive. Now we have 450on a semi and dozens of semi loads staged in FEEDLOTS in Cali waiting for theAsian Nut tree to bloom in mid winter so they can collect their pollinationfees and then wonder why their bees are all jacked up or turn out to be loadedwith mites etc.
THe same problems of preventative antibiotic usage in confined livestock ispracticed in FEEDLOT beekeeping. Google Tylan for the antibiotic of choice usedby FEEDLOT beekeepers and fed in corn syrup.
I have posted frequently here about the rampant use of Fluvalinate, Comaphous (a Bayer product Checkmite) and Amitraz being used by FEEDLOT beekeepers totreat for ...readmore
1 FEB 2011 1:06AM
Speak of the devil. Ijust did a review of Rational Optimist.
I wish he had stuck to science writing. Now we have a British version of GeorgeWill on our hands.
4 FEB 2011 10:52AM
It could be a combination of things. I do believe the virus from theRoyal Jelly imported from China
Read this about different bee viruses.
Or you can read it in PDF form.
4 FEB 2011 11:00AM
P.S. And here is another link from the USDA.
In one valley in
If the bees keep dying, we are in a world of trouble.
6 MAR 2011 12:27PM
Does anyone have any info regarding use of neonicotinoids in Europe ?
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