English

A mixture of chemicals found in modern pesticides may be killing bee colonies around the world, according to a United Nations report. The report says that the highly toxic chemicals in the insecticides, collectively known as neonicotinoids, can cause loss of the sense of direction and memory on which bees rely to find food. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report says that when neonicotinoids are combined with certain fungicides, the toxicity becomes a thousand times stronger. It says that the loss of nature’s most important plant pollinators could undermine efforts to feed the world’s growing population. The report finds that tens of thousands of plant species could be lost in coming years unless conservation efforts are stepped up.

The Organic View Radio Show host, June Stoyer, talks to members of the National Honey Bee Advisory Board (NHBAB) Jeff Anderson, Dave Hackenberg and Clint Walker III. They discuss the current impact of neonicotinoid insecticides on the honeybees and also the need to reform the current process in which the EPA grants registration for these dangerous pesticides. They also discuss the lack of cooperation from the EPA to work together to come up with a solution even though the EPA is charged with the prevention of unreasonable risk to man and the environment. Listen to the broadcast: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theorganicview/2011/03/03/national-honey-b…

Around the world, losses of bee colonies and wild pollinators continue. Emerging explanations are complex and call for more research, but the case against systemic pesticides is gaining strength. Michael Gross investigates.

On the 16th of February 2011, the Dutch toxicologist Dr. Henk Tennekes gave a lecture at the Institute of Public Health of Heidelberg University on the risk profile of neonicotinoid insecticides and their impact on non-target insects and birds (powerpoint presentation attached). Klaus Maresch recorded the English version of this presentation and placed it on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4RIDWuCN-A

There is widespread concern across Japan that neonicotinoid insecticides might be the cause of the decline in the number of insects and birds on farmlands through its heavy use.

Insects are unsung heroes of our ecosystem, pollinating our food (and that of many of our farm animals) and many of the trees that enable us to breathe. They provide food for birds and mammals, all of which play a role in the food chain, supporting the web of life on earth. We are witnessing a general decline of many insects. The decline of our pollinators is the most serious facing mankind, and cannot be underestimated. It is so serious, that the effects specifically of pesticides on the insect population, should not be ignored. Drawing on his own research using the Druckrey–Küpfmüller equation, as well as other research, such as the contamination of surface water with neonicotinoids and the arthropod and bird populations, the Dutch toxicologist Henk Tennekes concludes that these pesticides are linked to an ecological collapse of insects (including bees), the birds that feed upon insects, or the seeds or fruits from plants pollinated by them. He concludes that even minute quantities are harmful to insects.

I read with interest last week that wild birds in the UK are in decline. The number of farmland birds is half that of 40 years ago. There have been dramatic falls, too, in woodland birds such as the lesser spotted woodpecker Dendrocopos minor, the tawny owl Strix aluco and the wood warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix. These startling figures were churned out by the RSPB, a hugely rich, powerful organisation – the most potent conservation group in this country. It was set up in 1889 by a group of women concerned about the large numbers of birds slaughtered to provide feathers for hats. Now, it fetishises the rare while it is happy for the many to be persecuted. The RSPB orchestrated the slaughter of thousands of ruddy ducks (first brought to this country in the Forties by Sir Peter Scott) to stop them travelling to Spain to cross-breed with the rare white-headed duck.