Are nice fungicides killing our bees??!?!

[Aimless]

Interesting look at the way we play with the web of life:

The population of honey bee colonies worldwide has severely declined in recent decades, shrinking about 30 percent each year between 2007 and 2010, and scientists still aren't exactly sure what precise set of factors are to blame. The decline has included instances of colony collapse disorder, when there are suddenly very few or no adult bees in an entire colony. Whatever factors are leading to this decline, one thing is certain: it's only accelerating, and that could lead to higher food prices for all of us. Earlier this year, some US beekeepers reported bee colony losses of up to 80 percent. Now a new study from US government and university researchers has identified some new potential culprits: fungicides and miticides, popular chemicals designed to kill fungus and mites, sprayed by farmers on apple trees and bee hives themselves. Fungicides and miticides were thought to be safe for bees, but as it turns out, several types of these chemicals actually make the insects considerably more vulnerable to being infected by a killer parasite called Nosema, which has previously been linked to colony collapse.


The study, which was conducted by researchers at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the University of Maryland, involved collecting pollen samples from bees that regularly pollinate seven different major crops: almond, apple, blueberry, cranberry, cucumber, pumpkin, and watermelon. What the researchers found was striking: up to 35 different types of pesticides in the pollen, including heavy doses of fungicides. Bees that eat pollen coated with two types of fungicides — chlorothalonil and pyraclostrobin — were found to have a much greater risk of being infected by Nosema. Pyraclostrobin in particular increased the risk of bee infection by three times.

In other disconcerting news, the study found that a similarly increased risk of parasite infection from chemicals beekeepers regularly spray on hives to control mites. However, the authors of the study noted that one practice many beekeepers are already doing — rotating honeycombs out of hives — "will hopefully decrease spread of these chemicals to the environment." The study isn't the first to link pesticides to honey bee colony collapse, but it is the first to pinpoint these specific types of fungus and mite-killing chemicals as possible causes. "Our study highlights the need to closely look at fungicides and bee safety, as fungicides currently are considered safe and can be sprayed during the bloom on many crops," said co-author Dennis vanEngelsdorp with the University of Maryland, in a statement published by the USDA.

[GGT]

Probably. I recall this being an issue (among gardeners anyway) in the late 80's, early 90's. Came around the same time that frogs, toads, crickets, walking-sticks, preying mantises, butterflies, and other garden creatures started disappearing, too.

It seemed to coincide with the proliferation of "lawn care" companies spraying all sorts of chemicals on grass. Fertilizers, fungicides, insecticides, pesticides, etc. that kill the "good" guys along with dandelions, clover, grass weeds. It even took a while before they were required to post human hazard signs after their chemical lawn 'treatments'.

Now we have similar products available to the DIY green grass gurus, who want nothing but an emerald-green lawn. Even in climates not suited for growing northern grass, like Florida or Arizona. Golf Courses have also proliferated in the last couple of decades, with their acres of chemically treated, non-native grasses.

[RandBlade]

To be fair its entirely reasonable to use lawn care treatments if they're deemed safe. These chemicals mentioned in the OP had been classified as safe.

If the evidence now is that they're unsafe and then they need to be reclassified accordingly - and if need be withdrawn from the market. There needs to be regular research and quality control and as we find more evidence we react accordingly.

[Ominous Gamer]

We're still finding DDT in wildlife and that was banned 40 years ago, we should be taking a look at why chemicals of any nature need to be introduced. I can understand the want, or maybe even the need, concerning certain crops, but even that's questionable and overly done at times, and lawn care products are almost completely for superficial reasons.

Taking 40 years to rebuild the bee population would be devastating to our crop yields.

[RandBlade]

Lawn care products are not just for superficial reasons.

[GGT]

Lawn care products are not just for superficial reasons.

Emerald green, weed-free lawns are.

[Dreadnaught]

If these chemicals are indeed disrupting the pollination, their allowable use should be suspended at once.

I was reading a while back about a mini crop failure among almonds in California. Nice to see it connected and nice to see they are making some progress on these bee die-offs.

[GGT]

Rather hard to do when we have a bunch of anti-government, anti-regulatory, anti-science wing nuts on congressional committees.

[Dreadnaught]

Rather hard to do when we have a bunch of anti-government, anti-regulatory, anti-science wing nuts on congressional committees.

This is a pretty clear link being established. If it's clear enough, I don't think anyone is going to stand in the way.

[GGT]

This is a pretty clear link being established. If it's clear enough, I don't think anyone is going to stand in the way.

Take a good look at congressional members on important committees and subcommittees. Start with Science, Space and Technology...and those who believe the Earth is just a few thousand (biblical) years old. There are enough science deniers, and "Man Can Do No Wrong" demagogues influencing public policy to be worrisome. It's downright scary.

They're the same politicians who don't seem to understand human biology, want to de-fund sex ed in public schools, limit medical birth control, *re-define rape*, and ban abortion services. Those aren't the people who can be entrusted to make informed and educated conclusions about the birds and the bees.

[Flixy]

I highly doubt that, but let's hope not too many will stand in the way.

[Ominous Gamer]

Its far easier to block the research from happening, or to block access to results when it does happen. Monsantos gone as far as to buy up entire research firms to stop them from publishing their bee research. Thats part of the reason why its taken almost a decade to act on these (no longer) mysterious bee deaths.

[RandBlade]

Got to love a good conspiracy theory.

[Ominous Gamer]

which part?

if they lose control of the research they could always outlaw reporting its problems like states are doing with farm abuse, or settlements that ban everyone from ever discussing the effects in the future, like the fracking companies are doing.


To think that companies are simply going to step aside and let a profitable item get banned...thats beyond foolish.