Jan 15, 2012
News just in
provides compelling evidence that Bayer's neonicotinoid pesticides
are a significant cause of bee deaths in Britain and elsewhere,
supporting the case that we have been making for
years.
The
British Bee Keepers Association must now climb down from the fence
and clearly state their opposition to the use of these deadly
chemicals on agricultural land, or face even more derision and
condemnation from beekeepers and other associations both in the UK
and abroad.
A
key study, published in a respected scientific journal,
demonstrates that neonicotinoids are routinely found in lethal
doses in samples of dead bees, in seed planter exhaust, in fields
where seeds had been planted and in dandelion flowers growing
nearby. This shows clear pathways by which bees are being poisoned
and removes any last shred of an excuse for the BBKA to continue to
toe the pesticide industry line that these substances are 'safe if
used correctly'.
If
you keep bees within flying distance of agricultural land where
maize, oilseed-rape (Canola) or other crops are grown using
clothianidin-coated seed, YOUR BEES ARE IN DANGER. Likewise, all
other pollinating insects - including endangered bumblebees - that
live on or near that land will be poisoned, as will the birds and
reptiles that feed on them. There is also growing evidence of
possible long-term effects on human health.
SUGGESTED
ACTION
Read
the paper here - http://tinyurl.com/776y97v
PLEASE write to
the BBKA and ask them to put their weight behind efforts to ban
these deadly toxins from our countryside, while we still have some
bees left.
Send
an email to bbka@britishbeekeepers.com asking
the BBKA to STOP supporting the pesticide industry and to work to
have neonicotinoids banned in the UK. (More BBKA email addresses
below)
If
you are a BBKA member, pass this email around your local
association - the more people who understand what is going on, the
better. Make sure this issue is discussed and a resolution is
passed to BBKA HQ.
If
you are a gardener, look out for neonicotinoids in household sprays
and compost: the common ones are Imidacloprid, Clothianidin,
Thiamethoxam and Fipronil (also found in pet flea treatments).
Return all such sprays to the shop and tell the manager why you
will not buy them. Make sure your local gardening club / allotment
association are aware of the dangers.
Gardeners may
also be interested to know that Glyphosate (Roundup) has recently
been shown to be much more toxic that Monsanto would like you to
believe. In this report, Don Huber, Emeritus Professor at Purdue
University and senior scientist on USDA’s National Plant Disease
Recovery System, links glyphosate to reduced nutrient availability
in plants, increasing plant diseases, the emergence of a new
pathogen, animal illness and possible effects on human
health.
See http://www.i-sis.org.uk/USDA_
EXTRACT FROM THE
PURDUE PESTICIDE RESEARCH PAPER
"Our
results demonstrate that bees are exposed to these compounds and
several other agricultural pesticides in several ways throughout
the foraging period. During spring, extremely high levels of
clothianidin and thiamethoxam were found in planter exhaust
material produced during the planting of treated maize seed. We
also found neonicotinoids in the soil of each field we sampled,
including unplanted fields. Plants visited by foraging bees
(dandelions) growing near these fields were found to contain
neonicotinoids as well. This indicates deposition of neonicotinoids
on the flowers, uptake by the root system, or both. Dead bees
collected near hive entrances during the spring sampling period
were found to contain clothianidin as well, although whether
exposure was oral (consuming pollen) or by contact (soil/planter
dust) is unclear. We also detected the insecticide clothianidin in
pollen collected by bees and stored in the hive."
"These findings
clarify some of the mechanisms by which honey bees may be exposed
to agricultural pesticides throughout the growing season. These
results have implications for a wide range of large-scale annual
cropping systems that utilize neonicotinoid seed
treatments."
BBKA
EMAIL ADDRESSES
PRESIDENT -
Martin Smith - martin.smith@bbka.org.uk
CHAIRMAN - Brian
Ripley - brian.ripley@bbka.org.uk
VICE
CHAIRMAN - Dr David Aston - david.aston@bbka.org.uk
TREASURER -
Michael Sheasby - michael.sheasby@bbka.org.uk
BBKA
News and Year Book Editor – Sharon Blake m-s.blake@overstratton.fsnet.
Examinations
Board Secretary – Val Francis valfrancis@blueyonder.co.uk
Public Affairs
Director – Tim Lovett tjl@dermapharm.co.uk
TRUSTEES
Dr
David Bancalari - david.bancalari@bbka.org.uk
Doug
Brown - doug.brown@bbka.org.uk
Chris Deaves
- chris.deaves@bbka.org.uk
Brian Dennis
- brian.dennis@bbka.org.uk
Dawn
Girling - dawn.girling@bbka.org.uk
John
Hendrie - john.hendrie@bbka.org.uk
Roger Patterson
- roger.patterson@bbka.org.uk
Julian Routh
- julian.routh@bbka.org.uk
Michael Young
- michael.young@bbka.org.uk
Let's make 2012
the year that British bee keepers take positive action to clean up
our countryside - for the sake of the bees.
Best
wishes
Phil
Chandler