Save our Bees

[ladylouise62]

Although it's not exactly certain what the full cause of the dramatic fall in bee numbers is, one culprit is supposed to be chemicals, in particular one group which when banned in some countries saw a rise in bee numbers. This is a petition to be handed to US and EU decision makers which so far, 850 thousand people have signed.

"We call on you to immediately ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides until and unless new independent scientific studies prove they are safe. The catastrophic demise of bee colonies could put our whole food chain in danger. If you act urgently with precaution now, we could save bees from extinction."

If you wish to sign:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_the...9425405&v=8164

[rolf]

I'm in and signed up, we use too many chemicals anyway, so one less in use is a good thing.

[Catherine]

I couldn't find any info. re which (if any) branded products contain the offending nicotine-based chemical.

Neither can I find any proof that this chemical is to blame for the drop in bee numbers.

All I could glean was that the chemical is/was in products used by farmers and market gardeners.

Some articles deny it is as described on the site linked to, others suggest that removing it might allow crops to fail and we'd have greater problems. If anyone can find definite proof and/or what branded insecticides in common use actually contain it, as a gardener I'd be really grateful!

[rolf]

Problem is that unless action is taken quickly, the decline could reach a stage from which it is difficult to return. If France and Germany have seen fit to put restrictions on it, then I'm happy for us to limit use as a precaution.

[ladylouise62]

Good points, Catherine.
I'm sorry, I probably should have put in a bit more about what I found when I looked at it.
Info is limited probably because research is limited, but the chemical has definitely been shown to be detrimental to bees - it's whether they are exposed to it or not that seems to be the issue.
Manufacturers' defence is that it is down to incorrect usage - per Bayer's site Safety of clothianidin to bees - Bayer CropScience.

It may well be that Bees are not much affected by it if it's properly used, but we are not sure, and we cannot guarantee that usage is done properly. With the western world having such a terrible issue with Bee-loss I feel that even if it's only a contributing factor, rather than the whole thing (which I'm sure it isn't ), then it should be looked at. From what I've read it sounds like a big part may be a virus which is common, but which becomes serious when given ingress to the bees by the Veroa Mite... but I feel that there is a good chance that the multiple stresses put on a Bee colony all add up to Colony Collapse Disorder.

I honestly wouldn't expect a petition to end the usage, but hope that it would at least bring it more to the fore and encourage those in power to take a better look at the whole situation - too often if a chemical works then no-one bothers to look any further.

---
From what I can see, most of the relevant chemicals are used by farmers etc rather than the public, but those I could find are:
Dinotefuran (Safari) & Imidacloprid (Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Insect Control)

[Catherine]

There is info here on pesticides and our laws - Welcome to the Chemicals regulation Directorate (CRD) Home Page

Every year some brands commonly used in gardens are taken off the garden centre shelves, or are modified to be safe, as UK (but mainly EU) regulations change, and chemical contents must be disclosed. Globally Harmonised Systems (GHS) - proposed regulation

I'm not sure if the chemical/s mentioned in this thread have already been banned.dealt with/passed, or are being looked at now/soon. It's all too complicated for me to understand!