New research finds systemic pesticides in 60 percent of tested honeybees and their hives in U.S., Canada

 By Leah Zerbe

(This story is reposted by permission of Rodale.com, where it orginally appeared.)

What you can do
Vote with your dollar: Support organic agriculture that keeps harmful chemicals out of the environment—and our bodies (and the bees’).

 

Agricultural chemicals are wiping out bees that  pollinate our crops and flowers.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Bee fan or not, we all rely on the insects to pollinate the fruit, nut, and vegetable crops we enjoy every day. But in the last few years, the populations of our pollinators, particularly honeybees, have been plummeting. Dubbed colony collapse disorder, the cause of the devastation isn’t known. There are many theories, from mites and viruses to cellphone towers. One potential cause—pesticides—gained more credibility this week with the release of a new study by Pennsylvania State University. Researchers found “unprecedented levels” of pesticides in honeybees and hives in the United States.

THE DETAILS: Scientists tested wax, trapped pollen, and honeybee specimens for chemical pesticides and chemicals originating from those pesticides. Investigating pesticide residue in samples taken from beekeepers from 23 states and one Canadian province during the 2007 to 2008 growing season, researchers found 121 different pesticides and metabolites in the 887 wax, pollen, bee, and hive samples. Nearly 60 percent of the 259 wax and 350 pollen samples contained at least one systemic pesticide—a type of poison that doesn’t remain on the surface of plants, but is taken up inside the plant, too, where honeybees go to feed.

For complete article click HERE.