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Neonicotinoid insecticides implicated in honeybee mass poisoning incidents

An investigation by Buglife – the Invertebrate Conservation Trust has revealed that there is evidence of an increasing link between neonicotinoid pesticides and bee deaths in Britain. Buglife reviewed data from Fera, the Government’s agricultural research organisation, (attached) and found that there have been several cases in the last two years when the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme has implicated neonicotinoid pesticides in mass bee deaths. Not only that, but the number of reported incidents have been rising in recent years and, importantly, an increasing proportion of the incidents are associated with neonicotinoid pesticides.

Jeff Pettis: Bee decline in the US 'not explained by pesticides'

A leading American bee researcher, Dr. Jeff Pettis, who first posed a link between insecticides called neonicotinoids and bee deaths told British MPs in April 2011 that his research doesn't explain bee losses seen in the US (presentation and study report attached). "The lab study certainly seemed very clear that low levels of pesticides were impacting on honey bee health. But when we look in the field we don't see the same results. Even when colonies that were exposed to low levels we're not seeing outbreaks of the gut parasite pathogen that we saw in the lab" said Dr Jeff Pettis of the US Agricultural Research Service. The video interview with Jeff Pettis is at this link http://bcove.me/fyyb68e7

Abnormal Foraging Behavior Induced by Sublethal Dosage of Imidacloprid in the Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

The foraging behavior of the honey bee workers was investigated to show the effects of imidacloprid. By measuring the time interval between two visits at the same feeding site, we found that the normal foraging interval of honey bee workers was within 300 s. However, these honey bee workers delayed their return visit for >300 s when they were treated orally with sugar water containing imidacloprid. This time delay in their return visit is concentration-dependent, and the lowest effective concentration was found to be 50 μg/liter. When bees were treated with an imidacloprid concentration higher than 1,200 μg/liter, they showed abnormalities in revisiting the feeding site. Some of them went missing, and some were present again at the feeding site the next day. Returning bees also showed delay in their return trips. Our results demonstrated that sublethal dosages of imidacloprid were able to affect foraging behavior of honey bees.

Native bee populations on the decline, report says

The US National Academy of Sciences recently released a report confirming that some native bee populations -- the ones agriculture has depended on for centuries for pollination, until the advent of the honeybee -- are in decline. The scientists, led by Sydney A. Cameron of the University of Illinois at Urbana, found that the relative abundances of four species have declined by up to 96 percent over the last few decades. In addition, their surveyed geographic ranges have contracted by alarmingly -- as much as 87 percent, and even at the lowest level, 23 percent. "Pollinator decline has become a worldwide issue, raising increasing concerns over impacts on global food production, stability of pollination services, and disruption of plant-pollinator networks," Cameron wrote.

US Senator Robert Menendez: What steps is the E.P.A. taking to clarify and assess the risks to pollinators from chronic, sub-lethal neonicotinoid exposure?

For several years, Tom Theobald, a beekeeper in Boulder, Colo., has been trying to check out his suspicions that a relatively new class of pesticides has been interfering with the normal breeding and development of his stock. The pesticides, based on the chemistry of nicotine, are generically called neonicotinoids. This week Mr. Theobald got reinforcements from two very different quarters. First, Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey sent a letter to Lisa P. Jackson, the E.P.A. administrator, that said in part: While large farming operations import managed honeybees for pollination, farmers with smaller, polyculture farms in New Jersey rely heavily on about 350 native species of bees. Alarmingly, several species of bumblebees are believed to have already vanished and next to nothing is known about the health of other native species of bees.

Martin Caton MP tables Early Day Motion 1684 to halt the use of neonicotinoid insecticides

GOWER MP Martin Caton has launched a Parliamentary campaign calling on the UK Government to halt the use of a new generation of pesticides linked to bee deaths until a review has been carried out. He tabled an Early Day Motion, welcoming the decision by Robert Watson, chief scientific advisor at Defra, to initiate a review of all the scientific research relating to bee and other pollinator decline and the use of neonicotinoid pesticides.

Doubt is their product

Few scientific challenges are more complex than understanding the health risks of a chemical or drug. Investigators cannot feed toxic compounds to people to see what doses cause cancer. Instead laboratory researchers rely on animal tests, and epidemiologists examine the human exposures that have already happened in the field. Both types of studies have many uncertainties, and scientists must extrapolate from the evidence to make causal inferences and recommend protective measures. Because absolute certainty is rarely an option, regulatory programs would not be effective if such proof were required. Government officials have to use the best available evidence to set limits for harmful chemicals and determine the safety of pharmaceuticals. Uncertainty is an inherent problem of science, but manufactured uncertainty is another matter entirely. Over the past three decades, industry groups have frequently become involved in the investigative process when their interests are threatened. If, for example, studies show that a company is exposing its workers to dangerous levels of a certain chemical, the business typically responds by hiring its own researchers to cast doubt on the studies.

Varroa Mite and Neonicotinoid Pesticides

Varroa mite is one of the biggest threats to honey bee colonies. A key natural defence for honey bees against Varroa is for the bees to become “hygienic” – this means, the bees are able to groom and remove the mites from larvae and their bodies. In fact, there are currently efforts to breed “Hygienic bees” that are more likely to engage in this crucial grooming behaviour. It is conceivable that neonicotinoid pesticides impair the ability of honey bees to deal effectively with Varroa mite. Watch how the honey bee deals with the Varroa mite once it has been removed.
http://www.buzzaboutbees.net/varroa-mite.html

UK Government asked to investigate new neonicotinoid pesticide link to bee decline

The UK Government is being asked to investigate a possible link between a new generation of pesticides and the decline of honey bees. It is suspected that the chemicals may be impairing the insects' ability to defend themselves against harmful parasites through grooming. The Environment Secretary, Caroline Spelman, will have to answer a question in the Commons from the former Home Office minister David Hanson about whether the Government will investigate if the effect of neonicotinoids on the grooming behaviour of bees is similar to its effect on termites. The pesticides, neonicotinoids, made by the German agribusiness giant Bayer and rapidly spreading in use, are known to be fatal to termites by damaging their ability to groom themselves and thus remove the spores of harmful fungi.

New Zealand Green Party calls on Government to suspend neonicotinoid insecticides

“The Government must intervene to protect New Zealand honeybees from pesticides that have been implicated in bee deaths,” Green Party food spokesperson Sue Kedgley said today. The Green Party today launched a nationwide petition calling on the Government to suspend the use of Neonicotinoid pesticides until the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) has reassessed them. Neonicotinoid pesticides which have been linked to bee deaths around the globe are widely used in New Zealand on crops and pasture.