Are honey bees being killed off by chemically coated crop seeds?

(NaturalNews) A class of insecticide that is applied to seeds and taken up into plant tissue may be responsible for much of the widespread decline in honeybee populations, increasing numbers of researchers and environmentalists are suggesting.

Starting in 2005, beekeepers in the United States first reported large numbers of bees mysteriously disappearing, and since then the problem has spread to different parts of the world. No one cause of the collapse has been identified, although front-running theories include parasites, viruses, stress from long-distance transport of hives for pollination, and pesticides.

"We do feel like pesticides are playing a role in pollinator decline," said researcher Maryann Frazier of Penn State University. "We know that the pesticides are there. We don't know yet exactly what role they're playing."

The recent documentary "Nicotine Bees" makes the case that a new class of pesticides, introduced in 2005, may be the primary cause of what has come to be known as Colony Collapse Disorder. The chemicals, known as neonicotinoids, are synthetic form of nicotine that is applied to seeds and taken up by the plant into its tissue as it grows. Insects that eat any part of the plant are then killed. Because neonicotinoids were introduced worldwide at around the same time as the first cases of colony collapse, and because they have been directly linked in some cases to massive bee die offs, they have emerged as a primary suspect in the disorder. The California Department of Pesticide Regulation has launched an investigation into some neonicotinoids, and the Sierra Club has asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban them all until they can be proven safe.

"What we're asking the EPA is to go with precautions," said the group's Laurel Hopwood. "Let's go ahead and suspend them until we get all of the research completed."

Neonicotinoid use has already been restricted in France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia.

"Some of us think we've got enough chemicals out there killing bees," said beekeeper John Talbert. "Which begs the question: What is it doing to people?"

Sources for this story include: www.star-telegram.com.

Bayer pesticide banned over threat to honeybees

(NaturalNews) A U.S. District Judge from Manhattan has banned the sale of spirotetramat, a pesticide produced by Bayer CropScience. Citing allegations by environmental groups and commercial beekeepers that the pesticide is toxic and is killing off the nation's honeybee population, Judge Denise Cote has declared that sales of spirotetramat must cease after January 15.

According to Cote, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not follow proper procedure when approving spirotetramat. The EPA did not take public comment about the pesticide before approving it and the agency failed to publish both the Bayer application and the approval documents in the Federal Register. The EPA and Bayer CropScience have 60 days to appeal the decision.

According to Bayer CropScience, spirotetramat is perfectly safe and does not harm honeybees, insisting that the pesticide has been extensively tested. The company laments the fact that the chemical was banned because of procedural faults but did not indicate how it would proceed.

According to Aaron Colangelo, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), spirotetramat is a potentially hazardous insecticide that should be pulled from the market and evaluated further. The NRDC in conjunction with the Xerces Society, a wildlife conservation group based in Portland, jointly sued the EPA over its approval of the pesticide.

Amazingly, the EPA admits that it approved spirotetramat illegally but has argued that its actions should have no consequences. This speaks volumes to the agency's arrogance in how it views its role as a regulatory agency.

Dave Hackenberg, one of Pennsylvania's largest beekeepers, is appreciative of the judge's decision. After all, he has been losing more than half of his bees every winter due to what he believes are pesticides. He leases his bees out to various growers every year to assist in pollination but he says that each year, more and more bees are dying. This past year, he lost about half of his bees by midwinter which was the largest amount to date.

Maryann Frazier, a researcher from Penn State University, agrees with the notion that pesticides play a large role in what is now being termed "Colony Collapse Disorder" (CCD), the massive die-off of bees with no clear explanation as to why they died. She believes that a number of factors contribute to CCD and that further research must be done.

Bees are a necessary insect that must be preserved. Without them, there would be no food. According to the Department of Agriculture, bees pollinate over $15 billion worth of U.S. crops.

Sources for this story include: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pit...

Common Herbs can be used as Natural Pesticides

(NaturalNews) Essential oils extracted from common kitchen herbs and spices can be used as safer, less destructive pesticides, according to research led by Murray Isman of the University of British Columbia and presented at the Fall Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C.

"We are exploring the potential use of natural pesticides based on plant essential oils -- commonly used in foods and beverages as flavorings," Isman said.

Isman's team has been researching the pest control properties of clove, mint, rosemary and thyme for 10 years, and has found that diluted mixtures of the essential oils from two to four of the plants can be used to both repel and kill agricultural pests. These natural pesticides have been effectively used to fight aphids and mites that would otherwise prey on spinach, strawberry and tomato crops.

The essential oils provide several major advantages over synthetic pesticides. They are significantly less toxic to farm workers and the surrounding environment than synthetic chemicals. Because they break down quickly, they are less likely to cause lasting harm to the environment or human health. Researchers also claim that insects are less likely to evolve resistance to the plant compounds.

Because they are not engineered but simply extracted from foods already deemed safe, essential oil pesticides do not need regulatory approval and can be used on organic crops.

Because the essential oils degrade so quickly in the environment, however -- lasting as little as a few hours -- they need to be applied relatively frequently. In comparison, synthetic pesticides may remain in the soil for months and resist breakdown long after this time, which is part of what makes them so dangerous. The herb and spice-based pesticides also need to be applied in larger doses than synthetic pesticides.

"They're not a panacea for pest control," Isman said. "It comes down to what's good for the environment and what's good for human health."

Sources for this story include: news.bbc.co.uk; www.sciencedaily.com.