Neonicotinoids Pesticides
One of the major concerns is the use of pesticides to
protect crops from harmful vegetation, fungal diseases and bacteria growth. One
of the major pesticides used is neonicotinoids a very popular pesticide used in
the United States to promote growth in crops. However this pesticide is a toxin
for the bees and has a direct correlation between the use of this pesticide and
the resulting death of the honey bees.
Figure: Honey Production in United States Source: http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/jsass/more_research_shows_neonic_pes.html
There is a direct correlation between the introduction of
the neonicotinoids pesticides in the United States and the start to a loss of
approximately 50 million pounds of honey produced in the next fourteen years.
The neonicotinoids pesticides do not have an immediate acute death
on the honey bees. The way it effects the bees is that it effects the immune
system leaving bees and hives more vulnerable to the infestation of deadly diseases such as nosema. The pesticides impairs a lot of the bees key function
navigation, food collecting, queen bees production etc. This all leading to the
vulnerability of winter to the hives and hence the massive losses that have
been seen since winter 2006.
Ontario, Canada has been a case study for the use of
pesticides, where movement is starting to occur from beekeepers in the area to
ban the pesticides. Beekeepers report that there has been at increase from 15%
losses to a large 50% since the increased use of the pesticide. A beekeeper in Ontario Dave Schuit recorded
losses of 600 hives totalling to an approximate amount of 37 million bees
dying, “Once the corn started to get planted our bees died by the millions”.
Source: http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/neonicotinoids-pesticides-colony-collapse-of-honeybees-suppressing-immune-system.php
Regulations have been put in place as part of the Plant
Protection Product Regulations 2005 a two stage process undergoing two approval
stages. EU members in Europe comply with these processes which takes a look at
the environmental effects of using particular chemicals in the area of
interest. In the case of neonicotinoids the surrounding habitats and how they affect
their behaviour and of course mortality rates, Germany have made a conscious effort
to protect the bees from these pesticides by banning the substance produced by
bayercropscience in 2008. Needless to say there is sufficient evidence that
this pesticide has direct links to the mortality rates of bees. Some urgent
action needs to be taken to tackle this problem.
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