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Did anyone ever assert that neonicotinoids were harmless to bees? I thought the questions were about whether the harm was sustainable at an effective level of u
by ajarmst 9y ago
Did anyone ever assert that neonicotinoids were harmless to bees? I thought the questions were about whether the harm was sustainable at an effective level of use, whether (and how quickly) bee populations (and which species) could adapt to their presence, whether harm to pollinators could be mitigated by changes in the way we use these pesticides. The harm also had to be compared to the benefit of their use (generally in terms of improvements in crop yield and quality). An ideal environment for pollinators has to be measured in terms of the requirement to feed a population of human beings that has doubled in my lifetime, and like it or not, pesticides and other chemicals are part of that. The reason neonicotinoids were originally attractive was reduced toxicity to mammals and birds, so it's not a no-brainer to replace them with something else.
- quickben 9y agoAs far as I remember the story from many years ago: FDA panel found the link, they recommended stopping the chemical. The head of FDA pocketed the research/recommendation in his desk until "further". It was half a billion dollar industry of which that guy got a piece of the money through some channel. Net result: USA had to import bees from Australia. EU banned the set of chemicals My grandfather, after 50 years of bee keeping lost half of the swarms, until we figured out what's happening and what's killing them. Lobbying shoduld be made illegal.
- tptacek 9y ago"US had to import bees from Australia"? They're not a native species. All US honey bees are "imported".
- scott_karana 9y agoImporting because of a recent mass wipeout is different than using descendants of previous imports.
- tptacek 9y agoWithout stipulating that this actually happened --- that bee farmers today are relying entirely on Australian imports --- you're still begging the question. Why? What difference does it make?
- scott_karana 9y agoPersonally, I think any mass death event of an important species is extremely worrisome, irrespective of their source, and necessitates root-cause analysis and careful examination of the current equilibrium.
- ajarmst 9y agoI thought it was the EPA, not the FDA, that regulated pesticides in the US. I have no recollection of reports of either the FDA malfeasance you claim nor of any reports of widespread re-import of domestic bee colonies. In fact, I had thought that importation of such colonies was pretty tightly regulated due to pathogen and parasite concerns. In other words: citation needed.