A third of our food is pollinated by honeybees, a system that has been threatened since late 2006, when powerful pathogens started to decimate bee populations, causing Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). This phenomenon, in which a colony's worker bees suddenly disappear, is not fully understood.What is better understood is the impact of some pesticides on bees, in particular imidacloprid, a neuroactive insecticide made by Bayer AG. In France, this chemical was used to coat the seeds of sunflowers starting in 1994. Since then, it has killed a lot of bees. In 1996, the French bee population was 1.45 million. Seven years later, it was down to 1 million. Last year, Germany banned seed treatments using neonicotinoids, the class of pesticides to which imidacloprid belongs.
Now America's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is performing a mandatory review of imidacloprid, which is currently being used on a variety of crops that are pollinated by bees, such as broccoli, blueberries, carrots, grapefruit, onions, cucumbers, avocados...the list goes on. The agency is accepting public comments on the project through March 17.
GET INVOLVED
- Sign a joint Pesticide Action Network and National Resources Defense Council letter to the EPA urging them to conduct a thorough registration review of the pesticide imidacloprid that properly assesses risks to honey bees and other pollinators
- Support these eight companies working to help honeybees
- Getting Closer to Understanding Bee Deaths (September 9, 2008)
- EPA Sued Over Pesticide That May Kill Bees (August 21, 2008)
- Germany Bans Pesticide Blamed for Bee Deaths (June 30, 2008)
- Bee Colony Collapse Affecting US Food Supply (April 26, 2008)
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