Scientists confirm: Pesticides kill America's honey bees. Published time: July 25, 2013 20:24 Edited time: July 26, 2013 15:36 Reuters / Stephane Mahe Honey bees are quickly disappearing from the US – a phenomenon that has left scientists baffled.
But new research shows that bees exposed to common agricultural chemicals while pollinating US crops are less likely to resist a parasitic infection. As a result of chemical exposure, honey bees are more likely to succumb to the lethal Nosema ceranae parasite and die from the resulting complications. Scientists from the University of Maryland and the US Department of Agriculture on Wednesday published a study that linked chemicals, including fungicides, to the mass die-offs. Last winter, the honey bee population declined by 31.1 percent, with some beekeepers reporting losses of 90 to 100 percent of their bee populations. The new findings are key in determining one of the causes of the CCD, but they fail to explain why entire beehives sometimes die at once.
Colony Collapse Disorder: A Descriptive Study. Background Over the last two winters, there have been large-scale, unexplained losses of managed honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies in the United States.
In the absence of a known cause, this syndrome was named Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) because the main trait was a rapid loss of adult worker bees. We initiated a descriptive epizootiological study in order to better characterize CCD and compare risk factor exposure between populations afflicted by and not afflicted by CCD. Methods and Principal Findings Of 61 quantified variables (including adult bee physiology, pathogen loads, and pesticide levels), no single measure emerged as a most-likely cause of CCD. Conclusions/Significance. Crop Pollination Exposes Honey Bees to Pesticides Which Alters Their Susceptibility to the Gut Pathogen Nosema ceranae. Abstract Recent declines in honey bee populations and increasing demand for insect-pollinated crops raise concerns about pollinator shortages.
Pesticide exposure and pathogens may interact to have strong negative effects on managed honey bee colonies. Such findings are of great concern given the large numbers and high levels of pesticides found in honey bee colonies. Thus it is crucial to determine how field-relevant combinations and loads of pesticides affect bee health.
Neonicotinoids in bees: a review on concentrations, side-effects and risk assessment. Comment Bruxelles veut protéger les abeilles sans bannir les pesticides. Le Monde.fr | • Mis à jour le | Par Angela Bolis.
La Commission renonce à protéger les abeilles. La Commission européenne a expliqué dans un communiqué que le vote organisé au sein d'un comité d'experts "n'a pas permis de dégager une majorité qualifiée en faveur ou contre sa proposition".
Selon un décompte obtenu par l'AFP, treize Etats ont voté pour l'interdiction de ces pesticides, dont la Belgique, mais aussi la France, l'Italie, l'Espagne et la Pologne, 9 ont voté contre (République Tchèque, Slovaquie, Roumanie, Irlande, Grèce, Lituanie, Autriche, Portugal et Hongrie) et 5 se sont abstenus, dont l'Allemagne et le Royaume-Uni. Nouvelle proposition de compromis ? Les abstentions de ces deux pays qui comptent chacun 29 voix ont empêché que la majorité penche dans un sens ou l'autre.
L’EFSA identifie les risques associés aux néonicotinoïdes pour les abeilles. Communiqué de presse 16 janvier 2013 Updated*
Bayer CropScience remains convinced that neonicotinoids can be used safely and effectively in sustainable agriculture. Monheim, January 16, 2013 – Bayer CropScience is currently evaluating the reports published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on neonicotinoids and bees today.
The company is ready to work with the European Commission and Member States in order to take the necessary steps to develop pragmatic solutions to address the perceived data gaps which EFSA consider to be present. We proactively work on closing data gaps which arise and continue to be open to constructive dialogue with the competent regulatory authorities, in order to discuss all relevant points relating to the safety of our products. Bayer CropScience has generated extensive safety data for its neonicotinoid-containing crop protection products. These have been reviewed by the competent EU and Member State authorities who have confirmed the absence of any unacceptable risk by these products. We do not believe that the new EFSA reports alter the quality and validity of these risk assessments and the underlying studies.
Monsanto Co acquires Beeologics LLC. Monsanto Acquires Targeted-Pest Control Technology Start-Up 1 ST.
LOUIS, Sept. 28, 2011 -- Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) today announced it has acquired Beeologics, which researches and develops biological tools to provide targeted control of pests and diseases. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Beeologics is focused on biological research. Current projects in its pipeline – including a product candidate being developed to help protect bee health – use a naturally-occurring process to provide targeted pest and disease control. The expertise Beeologics has developed will enable Monsanto to further explore the use of biologicals broadly in agriculture. Monsanto, which has proven expertise in managing a technology pipeline, will support the Beeologics team and its Technology Advisory Board in advancing its pipeline.
Des antibiotiques et des pesticides dans le miel, selon 60 millions de consommateurs. Soixante millions de consommateurs a analysé 76 échantillons de miel, bio et non bio, afin de rechercher les résidus de ''91 molécules indésirables (56 pesticides et 35 antibiotiques)''.
Résultats : ''pas moins de 35 polluants différents (pesticides, insecticides, antibiotiques) ont été trouvés dans 74 des 76 miels analysés, avec une moyenne de cinq substances par pot, et ce, également dans des produits labellisés bio''. Mort d'abeilles : un arboriculteur condamné. CRUISER350.pdf (application/pdf Object)