BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com BloggingStocks http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/media/feedlogo.gif BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Bayer blamed for honeybee losses, clothianidin banned in Germany]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/05/30/bayer-blamed-for-honeybee-losses-clothianidin-banned-in-germany/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/05/30/bayer-blamed-for-honeybee-losses-clothianidin-banned-in-germany/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/05/30/bayer-blamed-for-honeybee-losses-clothianidin-banned-in-germany/#commentsFiled under:

We've all mourned the plight of the honey bee in America, and Europe has been hit hard, too. Everything from fungi to cell phones to stress has been blamed for the startling losses -- from 30% to 80% of many commercial beekeepers' hives have been wiped out.

After a lot of urgent research conducted in the past few years, some tests on dead bees have shown that 99% of the ones examined had a high level of clothianidin in their system -- the chemical sold under the name "Poncho" by Bayer AG in Germany. It's used as a pesticide for sweet corn and rapeseeds.

According to Bayer, the chemical typically sticks to the seed and doesn't get into the air, but an "extremely rare" "application error" resulted in its release. Germany didn't take any chances though -- honeybees are vital to the health of many crops and the country has banned the entire category of pesticides.

But that doesn't end the bad news for Bayer, whose imidacloprid has been blamed in South Dakota and France for widepread colony collapse disorder. The chemical was used for oilseed rape and sunflowers. In South Dakota, farmers are suing, whereas the French government has banned the chemical (but just for sunflower seeds). The company maintains its products are safe, as long as they're applied correctly. I must admit, I'm skeptical. How many times will we accept the "user error" argument before we start scaling back the use of harmful chemicals? If they're killing bees, what might they do to humans who eat the foods from them? Bayer could face some major reduction in its €2.5 billion pesticide (aka "Crop Protection") market if more countries follow suit (and if more Americans like me begin to demand that our farmers stop using bee killers on their crops).

Bayer blamed for honeybee losses, clothianidin banned in Germany originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 May 2008 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BayerbeebeesclothianidinfeaturedhoneybeeimidaclopridponchoFri, 30 May 2008 17:10:00 EST<![CDATA[Bees still dying: We want to avoid colony collapse disorder, but how?]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/04/30/bees-still-dying-we-want-to-avoid-colony-collapse-disorder-but/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/04/30/bees-still-dying-we-want-to-avoid-colony-collapse-disorder-but/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/04/30/bees-still-dying-we-want-to-avoid-colony-collapse-disorder-but/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Honeybees are being decimated, that much we know, and it could have far-reaching effects on agriculture and the economy. It starts with almonds in the early spring and spreads throughout nut and fruit crops, ending with pears and apples in Oregon in the early fall; commercial bees travel from crop to crop with their overworked keepers, a kind of modern cowboy essential to the very survival of the human race. Without bees to pollinate the crops, to help buds grow into fruit, we and much of the ecosystem would be required to survive on a fraction of the produce we now enjoy.

While much of the loss is blamed on mites and disease, a little is blamed on global warming and some on mysterious causes as far flung as a million cell phone pings (do they interfere with bees' navigational systems? anecdotal evidence from beekeepers who've commented here, says "yes") to bad high-fructose corn syrup used to feed crop-pollinating bees (if we don't like it for people... why would the bees thrive on it?). Either way the media world is finally taking note.

Early in the morning I hear suppositions from the BBC; they wonder if it's a "small blip in the life of the bee." But using words like "phenomenon" and widespread tales of the mysterious loss of between 30% and 80% of commercial colonies, I'm not so sure. Every morning has a new article, a new expert, another synonym for "we have no idea"; today the Baltimore Sun points out the risk to alfala, clover, pumpkins. The paper's expert suggests Colony Collapse Disorder could be caused by "a chemical deterrent or toxin" but says the number of potential causes is still vast. The Coloradoan notes the danger to blueberries, cherries and sunflowers and says that cell phones are either destroying bees, or saving them; "the cell phone hype has put bees in the spotlight and has better informed the public how important bees are to our ecosystem," writes Megan Read as she tells Coloradoans not to "put away your cell phone just yet."

I'm putting away my cell phone, just in case. I love almonds and cherries, and I've seen a lot of mysteriously dying bees in my pollen-rich backyard. I'm keeping my eye on the bee problem, and it seems that mainstream media is finally joining me, the beekeepers and concerned farmers everywhere.

Bees still dying: We want to avoid colony collapse disorder, but how? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>agriculturebeebeesccdcoloniescolonycolony collapse disorderColonyCollapseDisordercropsdead beesDeadBeeshoneybeehoneybeespollinatepollinationMon, 30 Apr 2007 17:29:00 EST