# News article - What are killing bees



## NaeKid

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2013/07/03/f-dead-bees.html

*What's killing Canadian honeybees?*



> Beekeeper John Van Blyderveen is troubled by the silence in his laneway in Ontario's Oxford County.
> 
> The familiar summertime buzz of bees hovering over the lush cherry blossom trees is noticeably absent. The flowers sit untouched.
> 
> "This is extremely unusual for this being a bee farm, there are no bees here," Van Blyderveen says. "This is really sad."
> 
> This increasingly familiar scene, which is playing out across North America and Europe, worries beekeepers, farmers and scientists who have been tracking the collapse of honeybee colonies over the past decade.
> 
> In the process, two main camps have emerged, vigorously debating the root causes of the decline.
> 
> Some scientists and insecticide companies suggest the bees are being overrun by an infestation of mites, while other observers suggest seeds coated with neonicotinoid insecticide - or "neonics" - are to blame.
> 
> On July 9, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne announced she will convene a working group - made up of a range of experts - to study this issue and provide recommendations.
> 
> It's a puzzle with huge implications. Bees and other pollinators are responsible for ensuring most fruit and vegetable crops around the world mature into food.
> 
> Most sources suggest about one-third of the food we eat is reliant on pollinators, and Bloomberg Business Week estimates bee pollination affects "$200 billion worth of crops annually."
> 
> *Is it mites?*
> 
> Ernesto Guzman, a bee researcher at the University of Guelph, says Varroa mites continue to be the prime suspect in the bee deaths.
> 
> "We have evidence that Varroa mites are problem No. 1 associated to bee mortality in southern Ontario, although neonicotinoids have been associated to some isolated cases of colony mortality," he said, noting that he has not specifically studied the effects of neonics on honeybees.
> 
> Bayer Crop Science and Syngenta, two major manufacturers of the neonicotinoid insecticide, have also suggested the bee deaths are tied to an epidemic of Varroa mites. The companies have recommended that beekeepers get their mite problem under control to rein in the collapse of bee colonies.
> 
> But not everyone is fingering the mites.
> 
> "The whole world is saying us beekeepers don't know how to control mites," says Van Blyderveen. He adds emphatically, "We don't have a mite problem."
> 
> Neonicotinoid pesticides have been approved for agricultural use in North America and Europe since at least the late 1990s. But earlier this spring, the European Food Safety Authority imposed a two-year ban on their use, specifically because of the risk they pose to bees.
> 
> Those who say the pesticides are at the root of the bee problem note that neonicotinoids are synthetic copies of natural nicotine, which is very toxic to nearly all invertebrates.
> 
> One of the uses of neonicotinoids is as a coating applied to corn seeds to protect the plants.
> 
> For modern farm operations, the idea of a seed with the insecticide built in is hard to resist. The seed itself takes care of its own pest management, not only as a seed but as it grows and matures into a stalk of corn with cobs.
> 
> It is supposed to be a safe, targeted way to use the insecticide without harming pollinators, according to a pamphlet produced by CropLife Canada, a trade association.
> 
> The insecticide is on the seed and the seed is buried in the soil, so it is supposed to be inaccessible to the bees, says Pierre Petelle, a spokesperson for CropLife Canada.
> 
> But as corn-planting season began last spring, the bees in some parts of Canada began dying in record numbers. When the dead bees were collected and tested by Health Canada, 70 per cent were found to have traces of neonicotinoids on them.
> 
> "Based on the preliminary information evaluated to date, there is an indication that pesticides used on treated corn seeds may have contributed to at least some of the 2012 spring bee losses that occurred in Ontario," said Health Canada's Ontario Bee Incidents 2012 report.
> 
> Scott Kirby, who works at Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency, adds that "the acute incidents from last spring were definitely attributable to insecticide exposure."
> 
> *'Fugitive dust'*
> 
> Ontario's bee die-off last year raised the question of how bees were coming into contact with this pesticide, if indeed the seeds were buried. That spurred investigators to look at the planting process, which was when most of the recorded bee deaths occurred.
> 
> When corn planters sow their fields, a lot of dust is kicked up as the large tractor and planter, followed by a fertilizer container, move up and down the fields. As the insecticide-coated corn seed moves through the hopper, it leaves behind residue that is carried up into dust clouds that can stay airborne and carry across the fields.
> 
> The irregular shape of the corn seed may further accentuate the problem. A talcum powder is sprinkled over the irregular shaped seed to help it flow smoothly through the hopper.
> 
> The powder itself is benign, but Health Canada and CropLife Canada now acknowledge that the talc actually helps disseminate the dust off the seeds.
> 
> This "fugitive dust" is now considered by Health Canada and others as one likely route of exposure to neonicotinoids for honeybees and other pollinators.
> 
> Bees can come into contact with the insecticides through "direct contact caused from planter dust, in which case bees are probably doomed almost instantly. It contaminates nearby flowers in a typical wash like any pesticide," says University of California apiarist Eric Mussen.
> 
> *Evidence is mounting*
> 
> Some scientists think the acute deaths that seem to coincide with planting are just the tip of the iceberg.
> 
> Jeff Pettis is the research leader at the U.S. Department of Agriculture bee lab in Maryland. Last September, around the time Health Canada reported the insecticide residues on 70 per cent of the dead and dying bees, Pettis told CBC News, "I am almost more concerned about the possible residues in corn pollen as the plants mature than the temporary exposure that occurred this spring with planting and dust."
> 
> Eric Mussen at the University of California's agrees. Because of the systemic nature of the insecticide, he says, "any time the plant is in bloom you're going to have a long-term exposure, and now it becomes incorporated into the bee hive."
> 
> Laval University entomologist Val Fournier suggests another potential source of exposure. When she sampled surface water from puddles in fields two to three weeks after they were planted with neonicotinoid-treated corn, she found levels of neonicotinoids 10 times higher than what is known to cause death.
> 
> "This water would be very, very toxic for bees," she says.
> 
> In April, the European Union issued a moratorium on neonicotinoids as it assesses the ongoing global decline in bee populations. But Canada's pesticide regulatory agency does not want to take that step.
> 
> "We do not feel that a ban or a moratorium is necessary at this time," says Kirby. "But we will assess. I feel that if farmers communicate with beekeepers it will go a long way to mitigate the problem."
> 
> The federal agency noted it doesn't allow a product to be registered unless the risks are "acceptable." Before neonicotinoids were approved for use on corn in Canada in 2004, Health Canada's evaluation concluded there was a "possible risk" to honeybees and other pollinators.
> 
> "Our evaluation indicated a potential risk to bees," says Kirby. "However, we felt that the risk was not significant." Health Canada agreed to register the product on the condition that the pesticide companies involved conduct further tests on the potential risk to honeybees.
> 
> But in the past nine years, according to Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency, the studies have not fully addressed the concerns and outstanding questions. As part of a re-evaluation of the pesticides, Health Canada has requested additional information on bee colony effects and residue exposure in pollen and nectar.
> 
> In a statement, Health Canada suggested that the re-evaluation "may take several years to complete" as new information is assessed. "If warranted," it adds, "regulatory action will be taken at any time during the process to further protect bees."
> 
> Health Canada's neonicotinoid assessment has been underway for nearly a decade. In May, Sierra Club Canada called for a ban saying the Canadian regulators have "got it backwards."
> 
> In a press release, John Bennett, executive director of Sierra Club Canada, said, "The federal government's response to this global crisis is grossly insufficient. Its job is to protect Canadians, not the profits of chemical companies and big agri-business."
> 
> In a letter to Health Canada, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has asked the federal government to "speed up their re-evaluation, in order to use the conclusion of that research to make decisions on how to address bee mortalities."
> 
> In the meantime, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency continues to collect an annual licence fee from chemical companies allowing them to manufacture and/or sell the insecticide-treated seed in Canada.
> 
> Those fees, along with each registrant's initial application fee, make up approximately 17 per cent of the PMRA's budget, according to Health Canada.
> 
> "The amount fluctuates somewhat from year to year, but on average it's approximately $8 million," Health Canada said in an email to CBC News.


*What are neonicotinoids?*

Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticide that targets the nervous system of invertebrates. All insects are invertebrates - from those that harm crops, like potato bugs, corn beetles, wireworms, grubs and aphids, to the so-called beneficial insects, such as earthworms, lady bugs and honeybees.​
Your thoughts on this affecting your own gardens?


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## Sentry18

I blame Monsantos, Nancy Pelosi and Obama. If I just blame those three when something (anything) goes wrong in the world I have about a 80% chance of being right.


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## Meerkat

I agree that the 3 MustCauseTears above is the problem.


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## lovetogrow

This is a huge wake up call in FOOD production. This should be top of the agenda for the Ontario and other governing bodies world wide.

My eyes began to open wide in the late 70's when I read Rachel Carson's 'Silent Spring'. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Spring

Her expose' was a huge p**s off for the PTB when she blew the whistle on Dow and Monsanto. Author Frank Graham who authored 'Since Silent Spring' kept the fires burning.
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/fifty_...nt_spring_assacult_on_science_continues/2544/

At the time I lived on a relatively large island (mostly farming) and began dialoguing with some of the locals about the use of pesticides. A fair measure of people became informed and there was a nice little ripple effect through the years and a 'shift' toward using organic ways and means of pest control - even the chemical brushing on the roadsides stopped (with a little arm twisting) and young people were hired to do the work in leu of pesticides.

Haven't been back there in years, and I hope they kept up the momentum of informing/educating and moving forward in a more healthy environment.

Wake Up Call
http://wakeupcallnews.blogspot.ca/2013/07/why-death-of-37-million-bees-matters-to.html

"Just two years ago, Dave Schuit's honeybee hives were thriving and he was planning an expansion of the family business. But in the last year, an astounding 37 million of his bees in 600 hives have died and he doesn't know if he'll have any honey harvest at all this year."

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/onta...de-ban-to-end-die-off-1.1354729#ixzz2YgQVhePX


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## Tank_Girl

And if course Bayer is owned by Monsanto.

Gods I hate that company.


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## CrackbottomLouis

When I worked on a farm we regularly made a tincture of nicotine by adding a tobacco leaf or two to a 55 gallon drum of water. We used a light spray on the vegetable garden and a bed of roses. It was particularly good to keep aphids away.


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## lovetogrow

http://www.ontariobee.com/inside-ob...ne-pesticides-as-possible-cause-of-bee-deaths
"The Bee Health Working Group will include farmers, beekeepers, scientists and neonicotinoid makers Bayer Crop Science and Syngenta. 
...
Meanwhile, Health Canada's*Pest Management Regulatory Agency*has been "re-evaluating" use of the pesticides since last June.
It expects the review to take "several years."
On May 16, Wynne sent a letter to the federal health and agriculture ministers in May, demanding quicker completion of the re-evaluation.
The letter cited a study last year by the PMRA found traces of neonicotinoids in 70 per cent of the dead bees tested, while the pesticide turned up on 80 per cent of apiaries visited in Ontario.
"People shouldn't be surprised. Pesticides are designed to (kill) insects, and bees are insects," said Ernesto Guzman, head of the*Honey Bee Research Centre*at the University of Guelph.
"The issue of debate here is how much or what proportion of the die-off cases can be attributed directly to these pesticides?"
Many beekeepers in Ontario, however,*are convinced neonicotinoids are killing their livelihood. Honeybee populations in the province have declined by 30 to 35 per cent every year since 2007, said Guzman.
"We must enact a ban before the next planting season. Our industry simply cannot sustain these losses," said*Ontario Beekeepers' Association*President Dan Davidson in a statement Tuesday.
"Allowing the status quo to remain would spell tragedy for the bees that pollinate our fruits and vegetables."
Terry Daynard, a corn and soybean farmer outside Guelph, said the pesticides significantly improve yields, and that taking them away could put crops at risk.
"If these seed treatments were taken off the market, it would be like playing roulette," he said. "There's got to be a way around this."
The bee panel is slated to make recommendations by next spring, in time for planting season. Read"


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## RevWC

Where's Bobbb? He loves Monsanto!


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## FatTire

Been reading up on this, one day id like to get into bee keeping..
Anywho, according to a documentary I watched, theres evidense not only that pesticides are killing bees, but also the gmo crops.. anyone have sources on anything like that?


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## Jim1590

In this instance the gmo and pesticides are one and the same. Monsanto has bred some gmo seeds with pesticides built in.

I do not do anything with gmos and my work is a NoGMO company. However I think that most of the science is still out on gmos. And since the science is still out, we shouldn't be using them.

Some of this is straight fear mongering. People do not want gmo cotton in their shirt. Like their shirt will eat them? I really do think there is an agenda behind the huge anti-gmo movement. And I think it should be transparent. gmos should be labeled on food, on the shelf, on google maps so people can decide as a market force what they buy.

The unfortunate thing is that the anti-gmo fear is also twisted. The correct term should be Genetically Engineered not Genetically Modified Organism. Technically the surviving bees are making gmos when they make a natures hybrid (which if you believe in evolution, I do not, is how all of the plants came about). Now hybrids are also being lumped in because a lot of people (I do NOT see this on here, people are pretty much informed) only hear talking points and not understand an issue.

I do not think the science on gmo, sorry *ahem* GE's, will ever really be able to say they are deadly or safe until it is too late. But it doesn't even really pass the common sense rule. Hmm take poison and put it IN the food. 

Out of curiosity, what do people on here do to ensure they are not getting gmo seeds?


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## cowboyhermit

All through this whole colony collapse disorder my bees have been unaffected :dunno: typical rates of hive loss and reproduction.
I don't use any chemicals for them like most commercial guys do for varroa and such, and to be honest I have neglected them quite a bit, which the bees don't mind they just swarm On my homestead where they mostly are we never use any pesticides at all. I am a little concerned by the increased insecticide and fungicide use up here though. Bees travel a long ways and chemicals drift, albeit at lower concentrations. Not long ago, spraying insecticide here was exceedingly rare but several pests have become much more of a concern due to insufficient crop rotations.

The biggest problem facing honeybees is the terrible lack of genetic diversity. The genes that we need for hardier bees are very difficult to find because of what the industry has done over the years, though some are working on it now.


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## Jim1590

cowboyhermit said:


> The biggest problem facing honeybees is the terrible lack of genetic diversity. The genes that we need for hardier bees are very difficult to find because of what the industry has done over the years, though some are working on it now.


I think you are closer to the truth then the conspiracy theory about monsanto


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## NaeKid

*Another report out of Austria*

http://austriantribune.com/informationen/132221-more-bees-die-near-hanover

*More Bees die off near Hanover*



> A bad news has emerged again for beekeepers as a beekeeper Dave Schuit has estimated deaths of 1.3 million bees in his yard north of Hanover in the past 24 hours. According to Schuit, it seemed like the bees have been poisoned. He said to have seen this in the past too.
> 
> Schuit of Saugeen Country Honey said that it is in the soil. Neonicotinoids are destructive for bees, even in small amounts. They are widely used to protect corn, soy and wheat seed. The pesticide is known to be water-soluble and remain in the environment for several years.
> 
> A ban was recently announced on the use of Neonicotinoids in Europe. According to the Ontario Bee Keepers Association, the cases of acute poisonings are on rise this summer. The association added that the total number of incidents is expected to surpass last year's figure of 240.
> 
> Samples have been collected by inspectors from the Ministry of Agriculture today to determine whether it is pesticide behind the killings of bees or something else.
> 
> Gerald Poechman, a farmer, said, "When I see dead canaries in the mine I know there is a problem, when I see dead bees I know there is a bigger problem".


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## stanb999

The first article stated that 80% of the foods we eat need to be pollinated. That is true. But very few garden veggies need to be insect pollinated. In fact honey bees have no place in new world crops at all, they are needed for just the curbits. So when the vile imports die... I hate the taste of honey and the little bastards sting so seeing them go wont bother me much.

Grow root crops, corn, bacillus, and nightshades.


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## NaeKid

Another scientific report about bees ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24637889

*Dino impact also destroyed bees, says study*



> The demise of the dinosaurs was almost certainly the result of an asteroid or comet hitting Earth.
> 
> But the extinction event was selective, affecting some groups more than others.
> 
> Writing in Plos One journal, the team used fossils and DNA analysis to show that one bee group suffered a serious decline at the time of this collision.
> 
> The researchers chose to study bees within the subfamily known as Xylocopinae - which included the carpenter bees.
> 
> This was because the evolutionary history of this group could be traced back to the Cretaceous Period, when the dinosaurs still walked the Earth.
> 
> Previous studies had suggested a widespread extinction among flowering plants during the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event 66 million years ago.
> 
> And it had long been assumed that the bees that depended upon these plants would have met the same fate.
> 
> Yet, unlike the dinosaurs, "there is a relatively poor fossil record of bees," said the paper's lead author Sandra Rehan, a biologist at the University of New Hampshire in Dunham, US. This has made the confirmation of such an extinction difficult.
> 
> However, the researchers were able to use an extinct group of Xylocopinae as a calibration point for timing the dispersal of these bees.
> 
> They were also able to study flower fossils that had evolved traits that allowed them to be pollinated by bee relatives of the Xylocopinae.
> 
> "The data told us something major was happening in four different groups of bees at the same time," said Dr Rehan.
> 
> "And it happened to be the same time as the dinosaurs went extinct."
> 
> The findings of this study could have implications for today's concern about the loss in diversity of bees, a pivotal species for agriculture and biodiversity.
> 
> "Understanding extinctions and the effects of declines in the past can help us understand the pollinator decline and the global crisis in pollinators today," Dr Rehan explained.


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