Image by Dandelion Salad via Flickr
Sep 20, 2012 by linktv
Honey bees, the essential pollinators of many major US crops, have been dying off in massive numbers since 2006. This threatens the American agricultural system and the one in twelve American jobs that depends on it. There is growing evidence that a new class of pesticides — nerve toxins called neonicotinoids, which are used on most US crops including almost all corn — may be toxic to bees. The Environmental Protection Agency allowed neonicotinoids on the market without adequate tests to determine their toxicity to bees. Environmentalists want neonicotinoids banned until needed safety tests are done. While the US government is slow to act and neonicotinoid sales reap billions for the chemical industry, bees continue to die. Earth Focus reports.
Earth Focus is an environmental news magazine that puts a human face on the environment by featuring under-publicized stories about how changes in our environment are affecting everyday people.
Watch more at http://www.linktv.org/earthfocus.
Killing Bees: Are Government and Industry Responsible?
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Updated Sept. 24, 2012
Hope for bees — 48 hours to act!
A pesticide called Clothianidin is potentially killing bees and threatening our food supply. An EPA consultation on whether to suspend the use of these toxic pesticides close on Tuesday. Let’s seize this opportunity to save the bees and flood the EPA with public support to stop these pesticides! Send an urgent message to the EPA now using the form on the right — below are some suggestions on what to say:
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see
Moyers and Company: Vandana Shiva on the Problem with Genetically-Modified Seeds
Monsanto, a half-century of health scandals by Soren Seelow, Translated by Siv O’Neall
from the archives:
Pingback: Dennis van Engelsdorp: Why Are the Bees Dying? | Dandelion Salad
Pingback: Sandra Steingraber: The Toxic Assault on Our Children | Dandelion Salad
My inserted comments on Petition: “If we fail to save bees by banning toxic pesticides, we are effectively committing suicide, along with genocide, ecocide, and homicide. EPA stands for Environmental Protection Agency NOT CCPA Chemical Company Protection Agency. Isn’t it about time this Agency does what it is employed to and what its name clearly describes?”
Thanks for signing and your comment, Dabra. The govt and the corporations are in on this together.
EPA and USDA should be sued for gross human and animal health negligence, ecological irresponsibility and professional incompetence…
I love bees, we should all appreciate just how dependent we are on their natural instinct to ensure our horticultural crops are pollinated. It’s pretty simple really, no bees ~ no humans.
This is not about our best friends the bees, but it does ring alarm bells about the loss of indigenous cultures and just how destructive hyper-organised systems of control have become. I’m sure Lo will relate to this:
“Mustang, or Lo, as locals call it, is an ancient Tibetan kingdom that is now part of Nepal.” http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/aljazeeracorrespondent/2011/10/201110912360944324.html
Thanks, David.
At the Al Jazeera link, is there supposed to be a video?
Update: Here’s the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MKEIp6Yq68&feature=plcp
There ought to be ~ also on youtube link here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MKEIp6Yq68
snap!
Thanks, David, I guess we were both looking for it at the same time.
I like this blog. I think the bee problem is a combination of agricultural monocropping and insecticides. My colony of bees which I keep in my suburb garden is going great. My colony on a farm has collapsed! :(
So glad you commented as I was thinking of you when I first saw this video. Thanks for sharing your personal experience.
Bless you. It’s nice to be wanted. :)