It's not so far reaching to imagine a world without bees. The real consequences aren't just going to be felt in higher food prices, but in the natural world where so much counts on the native trees and shrubs as well as the seed laden wildflowers to survive. And then imagine a Maine without wild blueberries and it hits closer to home. Not only do the bees of all sorts suffer through the Colony Collapse Disorder, but ultimately so will our birds and native mammals as well. Simply put, loose one species and they all suffer. I sense we're all at risk right now. Our native environment as we know it is at high risk.
And
why you ask? According to a recent study by the Harvard University School of
Public Health, it feels it has found a direct link with over use of a specific
group of insecticides known as the Neonicotinoids, used extensively in
agriculture primarily as a foliar application as well as in pet products. The
next DDT some call it. It was first registered in 1994 under the trade name
Merit and Advantage, known from the word go to be highly toxic and linked to
neurotoxic reproductive problems and even a leading cause of mutagenic effects
in bees and other beneficial insects.
At
the same time after a large kill off of upland game birds in the mid-west it
quickly became clear that the food chain had been invaded. Particularly
worrisome is the fact that they are persistent in the soils where they can
leach into unsuspecting garden areas. Even more poignant is the fact that they
can also leach into ground water and wells.
The
European Union isn't waiting, they have already declared a moratorium on the
use of all Neonics. Germany and England have been particularly firm.
This
group of insecticides in bees can cause disruptions in mobility and feeding
behavior, their thinking and remembering abilities have known to become
impaired, as well as a loss of their navigational abilities, any of which can
have a direct effect on the long term survival of honey bee colonies, thus the
term Colony Collapse Disorder.
We
all know that bats are suffering their own separate unlinked battle in many
counties in Maine, which report a complete collapse in the bat population
brought on by a very specific destructive fungus, but now honey bees are in a
dilemma of their own. Lose the bats and we lose natural control of small flying
insects like the black flies, moths, as well as the mosquitoes. Without one
element of the natural environment to help control the vectors of several
diseases, we all are at risk.
What
are these pesticides you ask and how can we help before it's too late? First
and foremost stop using the associated pesticides. They include such things as
Merit Lawn Care as well as products with Advantage. Products with Acetamiprid,
Thiacloprid, even some of the synthetic pyrethroids sold as organically safe
pesticides. In this case watch carefully for names like Bifenthrin, Fluvinate,
and the most feared those with Permethrin.
Simply
put, it's time not only to stop using the questionable pesticides, it also
important that you avoid any of the local large box stores in southern Maine
where items like potted vegetables have recently been tested and proven positive
for having Neonicotinoids in their potted soils.
For
some areas it may already be too late, but without bees the most notable part
will be a vegetable garden with great plants and no vegetables. Think about it,
no bees, no vegetables and then it will go from there.
For
me, where I live, I have always had an abundance of different species of bees.
Yet this season I have yet to see even a single one.
The
loss of the bats and the bees a raises one important question, could this have
been prevented?
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