From the NYTimes:
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — A mysterious malady that has been killing honeybees en masse for several years appears to have expanded drastically in the last year, commercial beekeepers say, wiping out 40 percent or even 50 percent of the hives needed to pollinate many of the nation’s fruits and vegetables.
A conclusive explanation so far has escaped scientists studying the ailment, colony collapse disorder, since it first surfaced around 2005. But beekeepers and some researchers say there is growing evidence that a powerful new class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids, incorporated into the plants themselves, could be an important factor.
The pesticide industry disputes that. But its representatives also say they are open to further studies to clarify what, if anything, is happening.
“They looked so healthy last spring,” said Bill Dahle, 50, who owns Big Sky Honey in Fairview, Mont. “We were so proud of them. Then, about the first of September, they started to fall on their face, to die like crazy. We’ve been doing this 30 years, and we’ve never experienced this kind of loss before.”….
The explosive growth of neonicotinoids since 2005 has roughly tracked rising bee deaths.
Neonics, as farmers call them, are applied in smaller doses than older pesticides. They are systemic pesticides, often embedded in seeds so that the plant itself carries the chemical that kills insects that feed on it.
Older pesticides could kill bees and other beneficial insects. But while they quickly degraded — often in a matter of days — neonicotinoids persist for weeks and even months. Beekeepers worry that bees carry a summer’s worth of contaminated pollen to hives, where ensuing generations dine on a steady dose of pesticide that, eaten once or twice, might not be dangerous.
“Soybean fields or canola fields or sunflower fields, they all have this systemic insecticide,” Mr. Adee said. “If you have one shot of whiskey on Thanksgiving and one on the Fourth of July, it’s not going to make any difference. But if you have whiskey every night, 365 days a year, your liver’s gone. It’s the same thing.”…
Might be a good time for those of us in the cities and suburbs to plant more fruit trees, to replace the sugar maples we’re losing to global warming, and the ash trees we’re losing to the emerald ash borer…
burnspbesq
We keep bees in the back yard, to pollinate our fruits and vegetables (and they undoubtedly do the same for the neighborhood).
Knock on wood, our colony hasn’t been affected yet. We’re careful about what we plant, and don’t use any pesticides or herbicides.
Big Ag’s over-reliance on chemicals is at it again.
ETA: Where we live, there are plenty of beekeepers/honey producers who will waive their service fees in exchange for taking the honey periodically (we get some back). It’s as win-win as it gets.
The Moar You Know
What’s going to pollinate them?
Gin & Tonic
Here’s a fascinating book-length treatment of the issue that I read on vacation the year before last.
Narcissus
This is so not the future we were promised.
magurakurin
exactly. The problem isn’t lack of fruit trees. If the bees all die, we are all fucked. Big time. This is such a serious and alarming problem, yet there seems to be so little alarm. It seems pretty obvious that the correct course of action is to stop the use of the new pesticides immediately. Their use can resume if the research shows they are safe. Continuing to use them at this point is madness.
People are so fucking stupid that it really is a wonder we have made it this far.
Frankensteinbeck
This article is the scientific equivalent of a Cavuto mark. Correlation is not causation, and your correlation even sucks. It’s bad that CCD isn’t cured, and bad that last year was even worse than usual, but all the speculation about why (Nudge nudge wink wink frankencrops) in this article was terrible journalism.
danielx
Amen to the comment about the loss of ash trees. They constitute (or used to constitute) a significant portion of the trees in these parts, and a good portion of the really BIG trees. Most of them are gone, including those that were in the nature preserve down the way from where I live – those were some serious 80 to 100 foot trees, too.
bugman
@Frankensteinbeck: CCD is likely a complex of problems. Honey bees are an introduced species (in North America) that we became heavily reliant on as native pollinators have disappeared. Honey bees have relatively limited genetic diversity, a product of domestication, and are susceptible to a variety of diseases and parasites. While neonics MAY be involved, it seems unlikely that they are the only thing going on. CCD also appears to be occurring in regions where agriculture is not a dominant feature of the landscape.
magurakurin
@Frankensteinbeck:
you must be right. Let’s see, new pesticide that becomes a part of the plant is introduced. Bees start dying in massive numbers. No “evidence” it’s the insecticide killing the insects, so lets just keep using them because…profits? How about we stop using them, you know, just in case, since all the bees dying is a majorly shitty outcome. Much shittier than the chemical company losing some time in recouping it’s R and D money for the new bug juice. I’m pretty sure the chemical companies can keep making money selling the old chemicals until everyone is sure. Whatever. I’ll be dead soon and I don’t have kids. How about you?
Anne Laurie
@The Moar You Know:
“Native” (mason) bees and bumblebees, and domestic honeybees who have less chance of running into neonicotinoids where there aren’t vast fields of oilcrops. Not going to replace commercial cultivation, but it can’t hurt.
Violet
Other bees pollinate, not just honeybees. I took a class on beneficial insects that was taught by a highly trained instructor–whose property is completely organic and pesticide-free and teaches those methods–who is not terribly concerned about the honeybee colony collapse. She thinks bee monoculture is part of the problem.
I plant native plants and aim for beneficial insect habitat. My native salvias are covered with bees from dawn til dusk almost every day unless it’s raining or very cold.
mikefromArlington
Great, if its killin’ them it ain’t doin’ us no good! Pesticide you can’t even wash off!
We’re doomed. I steer clear of Canola though. Check out Canola’s wiki and you will too I betcha.
YellowJournalism
@Anne Laurie: Bonuses: promotes healthy eating, is a good source of exercise and stress relief, and it just looks nice.
PeakVT
Equally gloomy: WNS continues to spread.
liberal
OT: apropos the previous post on TBogg vs Bible Spice, I went to TBogg’s twitter stream and found some funny stuff. My fav so far:
mclaren
Dream on. Stick a fork in the human race, it’s done. Global warming? Mass bee die-offs? Peak oil? We’ve been working on killing the human species off for a long time — now we’ve finally got it right.
Given the record of homo sapiens on the planet so far, sounds like a plan.
Open up a cold one and sit back and enjoy the spectacle. It’s Miller time!
jenn
FYI, the nicotinoids have been shown to be toxic to birds as well. If I’m remembering correctly, 1/10th of a coated corn kernel is enough to kill a songbird. Bad stuff. The EPA recently was sued about this.
Mandalay
The Homeowners Association where I live (in South Florida) does not allow us to plant fruit trees. Apparently the rule is not unusual in these parts.
RobertDSC-eMac 1.25
Those bees just need a tax cut.
scav
@RobertDSC-eMac 1.25: and those lazy remaining bees just need to pick up their socks and work more jobs for less. Increase productivity. drones.
Anne Laurie
@Mandalay:
Wow, I hadn’t run into that particular prejudice. What’s the rationale — “too messy”?
Confession time: We have two well-grown multi-graft cherry trees we planted shortly after we bought this house, 20 years ago. The Spousal Unit “can’t believe it’s Spring” until he sees cherry blossoms (he grew up in the self-proclaimed Cherry Capital of America), and I had a theory that we’d actually pick the fruit. Which doesn’t happen, but the annual crop makes the local birds very happy!
Punchy
@jenn: Songbirds are guilty of noise pollution. Good riddance. Cant wait to see what these neonics do to livestock and fowl.
Schad
@Frankensteinbeck:
It’s more than some spurious suggestion in an article; the European Food Safety Authority has proposed that neonicotinoids be banned for use on crops attractive to pollinators, if not use altogether: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/130116.htm
MikeN
But, but…didn’t John McCain assure us that researching this was pure pork and an example of how terrible the stimulus was? Didn’t Mitch McConnell tell us that spending money on investigating this was “ridiculous”?
Boots Day
The last thing we need to do is spend any American taxpayer dollars on researching silly things like bees! Bees!
Signed, the Republican Party
Violet
@Mandalay: Homeowners Associations can be crazy restrictive. One in my area won’t allow any edibles in the front yard, even herbs that grow year round, like rosemary does where I live.
There are strategies for dealing with them–sometimes you can plant something in the backyard that you can’t plant in the front. Many fruit trees do well in pots, etc.
? Martin
@RobertDSC-eMac 1.25: That’s stupid. What would a tax cut do?
Now, if those bees were armed, none of this would have happened.
Gex
You people don’t understand the free market properly. Once the human race begins to die off because we can’t sustain food production, the market place will punish these giant corporations accordingly. Dead humans will no longer buy their products. The magic of the market!
Punchy
The lack of buzz about this story really stings. I mean, it’s unbeelievable. What are White Anglo Saxon Prostys and 80’s speed metal bands supposed to do? I dont mean to drone on, but shouldnt we comb thru the data to find a solution?
Also, too…the article talks about the effect on the Almond crops. I didnt know those brothers went from music to farming…
Suffern ACE
@mclaren: come on, mcgloomy. There’s lots of variation in the human species. Those members who have evolved the capacity to eat pigweed and Japanese beetles without getting too sick will survive to repopulate the earth.
Mandalay
@Anne Laurie:
I think for citrus trees, the Dept of Agriculture doesn’t want to be worrying about spraying/killing lots of trees in back yards if there is another canker outbreak:
But that does not explain why my HOA has banned all fruit trees. I suspect they have done it for the same reason that dogs lick their balls: because they can.
Dead Ernest
“A conclusive explanation so far has escaped scientists studying the ailment”
As important as this is, shouldn’t we be using regular scientists?
Suffern ACE
@Dead Ernest: they were framed.
max
The explosive growth of neonicotinoids since 2005 has roughly tracked rising bee deaths.
But the key finding that kicked this all off (and deals a blow to the ‘correlation not causation’ notion) is this from BBC:
In practice that ought to be good enough to get people to shut down the coumaphos or neonicotinoids or both. The EU and the UK are both talking temporary bans. The parasitic infestation is also a problem, but obviously, the coumaphos is not the right cure.
The upside is that if it is the pesticides, a temporary ban gives you a chance to check for evidence… and it also means that you can probably avoid hive collapse by immediate action and also extinction is not on the table.
max
[‘So that’s good.’]
Suffern ACE
@Mandalay: I don’t think bananas are technically trees. I read somewhere a few years back that bananas are very vulnerable because farmers have let them have sex in years. Maybe you could plant some if these in your backyard and see if a little time and seclusion would get them randy again.
Mandalay
@Suffern ACE:
Hah! Apparently you are correct:
Wow – did not know that. I will be planting a banana plant this weekend, and will name it after you.
MobiusKlein
@Anne Laurie: Why no fruits?
Fruit trees attract rats, I imagine. At least the do around my parts. And can be messy too if you don’t pick up the fruuits
Villago Delenda Est
@Dead Ernest:
Indeed. Stop asking “scientists” on Monsanto’s payroll about this.
pseudonymous in nc
Mixed your metaphors there, but anyway.
Look, if you’re shipping hundreds of thousands of bees many thousands of miles like rock stars on 200-date tours, and you’re bringing in bees from all over the world to do rapid pollination of massive holdings, and you’re exposing them to the finest chemicals Big Ag can sell, then something is eventually going to fucking break.
pseudonymous in nc
@Suffern ACE:
The Cavendish is the replacement for the Gros Michel, which was fucked by monoculture and disease, and it’s not looking too happy itself. Big Banana is actively seeking another cultivar to begin another 60-year cycle.
Applejinx
Passenger pigeons, dodos, bees?
It would be interesting to see how culture dealt wth ‘honey does not exist anymore because it was made by a thing that is now extinct through pesticides/Monsanto/etc’ but I darkly suspect that fake honey would pop up mighty quick…
Cermet
Once again, like climate change and smoking, liars are allowed to ‘balance’ the story so facts are ignored; neonicotinoids pesticides are the root cause of colney collaspe – period. After many bee’s are killed by this deadly pesticide outside the colney, the majority make it back but are injuried by these deadly chemicals and this allows mites and virus’s to further injure and kill these weaken bee’s especially during the long winter. This was proven in the major exhaustive study that proved that neoicotnoids were the cause of this issue – colney collaspe. Unlucky for bee’s, past practices have also made them weak so this deadly pesticide has really shown its effects – liars continue to say ‘study’ the issue or other issues may be also causing this … false. Only scientist paid by the deadly pesticide industry say it isn’t a proven fact (and no, I’m not against pesticides; they make large scale food production possible but they work for their profit, not safety.)
Lurking Canadian
Gosh, it’s a good thing only Luddites are concerned about GM crops, otherwise this might sound like cause for concern!
Evolving Deep Southerner
I just resent the guy running down whiskey like he did at the end.
chopper
that’s not what the doctor i see when i close my eyes tells me.
Chet
What was the study?
tbunny
Everybody knows plants need Brawndo. It’s got what plants need.
Chet
@Lurking Canadian:
These aren’t GM crops, though. This is a chemical treatment that they apply to the seed which the plant then takes up, systemically.
GM crops don’t have any effect on bees.
The Raven on the Hill
Well, since neonicotinoid pesticides are banned in the EU, a “natural experiment” is being conducted. I suppose we will know soon enough.
Discussion of the pesticide evidence: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/mar/29/crop-pesticides-honeybee-decline
John Brunner is writing this part, and I wish he’d cut it out!
Ramalama
I surely hope that @Violet is right about other bees taking the yoke from their dying cousins.
And while reading about yet more Housing authority dictators banning things because they say so, I’m encouraged by Seattle’s plan to grow a food forest.
I know it’s probably their way to offset being the home the most delicious donuts in the world, but hey, still a good idea.
gvg
I’ve been hearing about the bee’s dying since the mid 90’s and it wasn’t new news then. There have been several ideas of the cause which never held up long so don’t pin your hopes on this insecticide which is said to be more recent. I’m also wondering about the 50% dying or whatever. Every year it’s some dramatic number but bees are still here (not as many) and the at least some crops are still showing up in grocery stores. I know there really is a problem and it’s impacted people I know but after years of hysterical articles I have to warn my fellow readers to be aware there is some crying wolf, some self promotion in the sense of “this is the culprit!” and also to bee keepers and farmers that need bee’s, the world revolves around this story.
Lots of real scientists have been studying the problem a long time, not just a few, and I’m confident big chemical companies won’t be able to stop the news if someone really does establish a cause.
I think the earliest culprit I heard of was mites, then it was some fungus….I don’t know.
By the way, honeybees are not native, they came over with the early colonists. they fit in with organized agriculture better than the individual type native bees.
artem1s
The western honey bee is native to the continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa. As of the early 1600s, the insect was introduced to North America, with subsequent introductions of other European subspecies two centuries later.[1] Since then, they have spread throughout the Americas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_honey_bee
the western honey bee is actually not a native of N America. A more critical issue with pesticides is whether anyone is doing any research on how other bee species are faring. Unfortunately most of the reporting seems to be focused on domestic bees and financial impact of losing the single pollen honey crop. It’s huge to the beekeepers but Monsanto won’t care unless you can demonstrate all pollinators are affected and then none of the crops will get pollinated.
Cassidy
@Mandalay: Because unpicked fruit on the ground attracts animals, pests, and other such undesirable things, which in the closely packed confines of suburbia is a legitimate issue. What tends to happen is that you can’t give the fruit away fast enough, it lays on the ground and rots, attracts things, etc.
Personally, I’m looking for a house with some land, no HOA, trees around to provide shade and I’m going to do some planting.
And, nature figures out a way. We’ll die off. The two could be the same thing.
Forum Transmitted Disease
@Mandalay: I could (right climate/soil) but don’t. We have local rats. A citrus tree is like putting out a feeder for the fucking things.
lol
I’m pretty sure the Doctor figured out where the honeybees went: they fled the solar system shortly before the Daleks stole planet Earth.
maya
@Forum Transmitted Disease:
When all you have is rats and lemons make lemon rat.
Elie
I tell you, humans are overdue for a little “trimming” of our numbers.. there are too many of us and we are too destructive to mother earth. Ultimately, by our own handiworks, I expect. How ironic if we poisoned ourselves off of this planet —
Elie
@artem1s:
My understanding is that other bee species are also hurting.. some like the Orchard Mason Bee, which is a primo pollinator of fruit trees and other important crops, is actually suffering from lack of places to lay its eggs (they are solitary, unlike the honey bee). It lays its eggs in deadfall and with so much of our wild/tree filled habitat diminished, and with so many tidy suburbs, they do not have enough places. They sell nesting boxes….
maya
@Elie: Kimmy Jung-un hears you
Afferent Input
What about 2 shots of whiskey every night?
cvstoner
Of course the pesticide industry is going to dispute this! This will be written as our epitaph:
“Starved while wondering if pesticides killed the bees.”
scav
@cvstoner: text on stone slowly eroded away by the waves lapping at it while happenchance and a sucession of small pebbles etch “more studies required to put the anthro into morphic climate change” instead. meteor finally arrives.
Pococurante
I had to give up on my hives in North Texas a couple of years ago. I couldn’t stay ahead of the stressors, and the bees got meaner each season (I miss pulling out the sliders without a suit/gloves and examining them up close). I’d occasionally see misformed wings.
Aaron
@jenn: And though correlation does not necessarily equal causation, one must bear in mind that this is a pretty strong correlation, and that areas of Europe that banned neonicotinoids (i.e France) have seen a dramatic decrease in CCD. The lack of strict causation may simply be due to the fact that the poisoning weakens the bees’ immune systems, such that they succumb to mites or viral diseases. This sort of causal relationship is very hard to prove under laboratory conditions, particularly when the EPA and the manufacturers are stonewalling.
The behavior of the EPA has been very odd on this class of chemicals. The EPA’s own scientists derided the research done on the chemicals as shoddy, but these reports (since leaked) were suppressed and the pesticide was released anyway. Also, even though these chemicals were supposed to be more or less non-toxic to vertebrates, it has since become apparent that they are extremely toxic to vertebrates. This sort of scientific and regulatory malfeasance should not be tolerated, and it wouldn’t be if the media would get off their butts and report heavily upon this extinction level threat.
It astonishes me, as a plant scientist, that these pesticides are still on the market. It is behavior like this that has gradually led me to believe that we are being led by omnicidal maniacs. No amount of greed or stupidity could cause people at the top to so willfully slit everyone’s throats (while directing their slaves in the media to look away so that we can’t defend ourselves) unless that was indeed their intention.
nicteis
@pococurante: How far were you from commercial fields? My son’s FIL, in a fairly non-agricultural area of upstate NY, has had no trouble with his hives so far. But he’s always been gloved.