After years of protests by beekeepers and concerned citizens throughout Europe the European Union has formally recognized the neonicotinoid family of insecticides as "high acute risks" for bees and as of December 1st their use will be severely restricted. Bees’ contribution to European agriculture is evaluated at $29 billion annually.
The neonicotinoids Imidacloprid, Clothianidin and Thiamethoxam attack the bees' nervous system and are responsible for deaths of thousands of colonies of bees throughout the world (Neonicotinoid Pesticides). Canadian beekeepers have felt that loss particularly in Ontario (Neonicotinoids kill bees in Ontario and Pesticide suspect in bee deaths). Due to the level of corruption that exists in U.S and Canadian governments it is very difficult to get any action taken against the agrochemical corporations which control the government agencies through massive campaign contributions. Most people are unaware that the Agrochemical corporations can introduce any chemical to the market (conditional release) with minimal small scale, short term testing carried out by testing companies that rely on Agrochemical funding to exist (conflict of interest). The government does no testing of these products. For information on the effects of insecticides on bees got to the Insecticides and Bees section of our Beekeepers' Library.
Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada is urging Harper's Conservatives to follow the European Commission’s lead and ban the neonicotinoid pesticides.
“I believe the precautionary principle should guide our action here. Canada can stand up to the chemical industry. It’s a matter of political will,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May, Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands.
“Neonicotinoids are another example of the negative long-term consequences of pesticides. Any advantage to individual crops is wiped out by the massive destruction of crop pollinators across the country and the resulting drop in productivity of many of our food crops,” said Kate Storey, Green Party’s Agriculture Critic. “It would be economically smarter to ban neonicotinoids and put research into organic ways of working with nature,” added Storey.
I think everyone in Canada knows what Prime Minister Harper's response will be considering his record of disregard for environmental issues (Kyoto, Environment Canada's budget cuts, Silencing Canadian Scientists (ie. global warming, effects of salmon farms on native stocks), the tar sands, Keystone Pipeline ...). Hopefully, with his popularity declining in an effort to look more "earth friendly" he may act on this issue.
Help Elizabeth May and the Green Party convince the Canadian Government to follow Europe’s lead and ban the use of neonicotinoids in Canada. Sign the petition here, or download it, have as many people as possible to sign it, and mail it – postage free – to either her Ottawa or Sidney offices. With as few as 25 signatures, Elizabeth can present your petition to the government in the House of Commons.
It was a beautiful, sunny 15 degree celsius (60 fahrenheit) day in the garden and the bees were very active. At this time of year there are a wide assortment of blossoms available to be foraged upon but one of the favourites is an unplanted native, invasive plant, the Dandelion (Taraxacum) of the Asteraceae (Aster) Family. Many still think of the Dandelion as an unwanted weed but I hope that attitude is changing along with the need for a manicured lawn. For us the Dandelion can flower throughout the growing period and if the seed heads are allowed to mature you are guaranteed a plentiful crop.
My garden is a 4 acre community garden close to downtown Vancouver and through the years I have grown to appreciate the weeds (?) and the invasive plants. Being a very multicultural city it is so interesting to hear the perspective of different cultures on particular plants. Gout weed ( Aegopodium podagraria) for example is an extremely invasive plant, native to Eurasia which although enjoyed by the bees is impossible to remove and an irritant to all of the gardeners. One day two Chinese women approached me and asked if they could harvest our gout weed. Attempting to hide my enthusiasm I asked them why. They told me of it's medicinal properties (primarily to treat stomach ailments- thus the name gout weed) and told me how they boil it and prepare a tea. On the same day I saw two older men harvesting dandelion leaves. They explained to me that in Italy they cherish the leaves and fry them in olive oil and garlic. The entire plant is edible and the flower petals, along with other ingredients, are used to make dandelion wine. The leaves are best when they first appear or after the first frost (Recipes). The ground, roasted roots can be used as a caffeine-free dandelion coffee. Dandelion was also traditionally used to make the traditional British soft drink dandelion and burdock, and is one of the ingredients of root beer. Also, Dandelions were once delicacies eaten by the Victorian gentry mostly in salads and sandwiches. Dandelion leaves contain abundant vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins A, C, K, niacin, riboflaven and are good sources of calcium, potassium, iron, manganese and beta carotene. Lecithin in the flower detoxifies the liver. As well Dandelions nourish other plants through it's long (up to 3 ft) tap root which brings minerals and nutrients from a less contaminated part of the soil to the surface where it is utilized by the shorter roots of neighbouring plants. If you break the stem of a dandelion the white fluid that appears can be used to ease the pain of bee stings or sores. Wow! What an amazing plant. For more information on this amazing plant go to Weed Wanderings by Susun Weed.
Like us bees are healthier, live longer and perform better when feeding on a mixed diet. Different pollens have different nutritional value to bees and studies have shown a slight improvement in performance when feeding on Dandelion (Honey Bee Nutrition). Interestingly for me two of the best pollens for bees, blackberry and cottonwood are aggressive volunteers in our garden.
Although the plum and flowering cherry blossoms are finished for us there is an amazing number of plants coming into blossom like the apple, pear, cherry, bulbs, purple deadnettle and marsh marigold. Also, today was the first day I saw Raspberry flower formation which for us is the major bee forage in May through June.
One of our bees feeding on the apple blossoms
Every year we share our love of beekeeping and bees (we love the native bees and raise blue orchard mason bees) with our community. If you would like to join in with our free introductory beekeeping classes let us know. Contact us at strathconabees@gmail.com.
While pesticides, particularly the new family of pesticides the neonicotinoids are a major threat to our bees there is also a variety of other environmental toxins. A study done on the bees wax in a hive in an agricultural area of France found there to be over 30 different types of herbicides, fungicides and pesticides. Please put away the Roundup (Monsanto's herbicide a human health risk) and let your Dandelions grow (You can control them by removing the flowers before they go to seed).
The Richmond Beekeepers Association has planned to hold 5 workshops in the coming months. If there is further demand more will be arranged. Workshops will be held at the Terra Nova sharing farm in Richmond and all workshops will begin at the Red Barn directly north of the main parking lot. Some of these workshops will be done in close proximity to colonies of bees and therefore suitable beekeeping gear should be brought along.
The fee structure will be $30 for members and $35 for non member per 4 hour
workshop, and $15 for members and $20 for non members for 2 hour workshops. Of
the 5 workshops currently planned all will be in the 4 hour
category.
Schedule:
May 12 Starting out a new
colony
May 26 Making nucleus colonies
June
2 Top Bar Hive management
June 9 Making queens
the easy way
June 29 Grafting Queens
Priority
will be given to people on a first come first serve basis. If workshops do not
get a minimum of 6 people attending the workshop will be cancelled and refunds
returned. Lianne has set up a paypal account and details will follow shortly
for people who wish to use that method of payment.
If anyone has any questions please feel free to send me an email crosby_e@hotmail.com
These workshops sound great and I personally am interested in the last four. Good job Richmond Beekeepers Association and Eric Crosby. Eric is the beekeeper who went to so much trouble to bring us the locally produced nucs (from last fall) over a month ago. I bought 3 and they are doing fine with strong egg production and an added second super. I am a firm believer in the benefit of localized, survivor stock. We need to get out of the habit of annual importation from the southern hemisphere. Greater Vancouver has no major bee breeding operation (Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands do). This is why we have to be patient (when I was younger I was not) and wait for the locally produced nucs. Support your local bee breeder.
The recorded version of the "Swarms and Swarm Management" webinar is now available for viewing at the Beelab website or in the Webinar section of our Beekeepers' Library. As usual Dr. Tew does a wonderful job of explaining a very important aspect of beekeeping including his own personal experiences.
Although this is an American only survey I think it is important to all beekeepers particularly us Canucks to the north. The last survey revealed (the numbers are minimal and regional differences are very important) that only two beekeeping practices aided in winter survival. First, making sure the hive was strong going into winter (combining weak hives etc.) and second that there be an upper opening for ventilation. While both of these conclusions may be common sense to most it is interesting that insulation or hive wrap were not a factor. Winter ventilation is a no brainer and while some beekeepers simply tilt their hives to allow side wall drainage some (more creative or weird) invent things. I, for example invented the Insulated Moisture Quilt which although successful for two winters is the result of an over active imagination and a few beers. It is important to remember that the "Insulated Moisture Quilt" is patented and any user of this patent must pay me a jar of honey or a six pack of beer. It's the law.
The more beekeepers that participate in the survey the more conclusive the results. It's funny that I live on the U.S. border but cannot participate in the survey even though swarming bees are seemingly unaware of this imaginary barrier. I have tried to recognize the difference between American bees and Canadian bees but to this point I have found none except for the obvious Canadian accent (bzzzzeh). I think it is bizarre that we cannot buy bees from the U.S. (An antiquated trade restriction based on the situation 20 years ago when we did not have devil varroa). A Canadian living on the border cannot buy bees a mile away in the U.S. but may buy bees from New Zealand, Australia, Argentina and Chile thousands of miles away. What's the penalty for bee smuggling?
There are only 7 days left!!
The Bee informed
Partnership, a joint project among numerous universities and laboratories, is
asking you to please participate in the National Winter Loss and Management
survey listed below. Both surveys are open only until 15 April 2013.
You can learn more about the Bee Informed Partnership at beeinformed.org. We have and continue to post results from our
efforts in our Results section, as well as give highlights of the information in
our Blog. We encourage you to visit the site.
We really believe this
effort will be able to change our industry by giving beekeepers the tools they
need to make informed management decisions. But, for it to work it needs
participation – lots of participation. SO please take the survey and pass this
email to your beekeeper contacts and encourage them to participate!
The
purpose of the Bee Informed Partnership is to use beekeepers' real world
experiences to help solve beekeepers' real world problems. We will use the data
generated from these two surveys to help you decide which management practices
are best for beekeepers like you, who live where you do and have operations
similar to yours.
Depending on the number of participants we hope to
have the results from this year’s survey broken down by region and should have
those results posted within months of the survey close date now that we have
built the infrastructure needed to automate report generation.
Should
you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us at
askbeeinformed@gmail.com or call us at 443.296.2470.
On Wednesday, April 10th at 9 a.m EDT (early for the west coasters) Dr. James Tew and Ohio State University will be presenting the second in the series of 2013 Beekeeping Webinars entitled "Swarms and Swarm Management". To join in this free webinar click on this link here at 8:55 a.m EDT and login as a guest.
Dr. James Tew and Ohio State University are a great combination. For many the swarm season is already here but for us northerners it is still a month or two away. All of the webinars are recorded and can be viewed at the O.S.U Beelab or in the Webinar section of our Beekeepers' Library. Enjoy!
We need to act urgently to stop the spread of genetically modified food products. The effects of gm seeds are untested and the spread of gm seeds to non gm farms through cross pollination is inevitable. The effects of gm crops on bees is devastating. The systemically toxic nature of BT Corn, roundup resistant crops and neonicotinoid pesticides has resulted in significant bee colony losses.
"Farmers from across Canada describe how genetically engineered (genetically modified or GM) alfalfa would affect them. Do farmers need GM alfalfa? This year there is a new industry push to pave the way to introduce GM alfalfa into Canada. The company Forage Genetics wants to sell GM alfalfa seeds in Canada (seeds with Monsanto's Roundup Ready herbicide tolerant trait). Its not legal to sell GM alfalfa seeds in Canada until Forage Genetics gets variety registration. In October 2012, the industry group called the Canadian Seed Trade Association began to push a plan for "co-existence" of GM and non-GM alfalfa, to pave the way to introduce GM alfalfa in Canada via Ontario. However, "co-existence" is not possible - GM alfalfa cannot be controlled but will contaminate farmers' fields across the country. Take action today or find out more info at www.cban.ca/alfalfa.
Perhaps the greatest barometer of the overall health of bees in North America is the state of annual almond pollination in California. In a warm, dry area stretching from north of Sacramento to Los Angeles over 800,000 acres and 6,000 almond farmers produce over 80% of the world supply of almonds, all dependant on bee pollination. This was the first year ever that growers simply could not find bees due to heavy winter losses. An 8 frame average of bees is the norm with a 5 frame minimum but this year growers were settling for much weaker hives. Due to a tremendous stroke of luck with unseasonably good weather poor hives provided adequate pollination. With increased acreage being planted in almonds the future for pollination supply is bleak.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Assistant Administrator, Jim Jones spent a day with beekeepers and almond growers to learn more about this year’s massive colony losses, and beekeepers’ concerns about the role of pesticides in the decline. The National Pollinator Defense Fund (NPDF) Board provided Jones with a view of the disaster from inside the hive. It was not a pretty picture. Dead hives littered the landscape at one bee yard, and even the hives with bees in them were not at full strength.
“I started out last spring in the Midwest with 3,150 healthy bee colonies; of which 992 still survive, and most of those are very weak. More than 2,150 of my valuable bee colonies are now just gone,” said Jeff Anderson, third generation beekeeper, and owner of California-Minnesota Honey Farms where the tour began.
Escalating colony losses are making replacement difficult. In the meantime, without bees, they are unable to fulfill pollination contracts or make honey. Beekeepers are not alone—growers of almonds, cherries, apples, pears, berries, melons, and other fruits, vegetables, and field crops stand to lose as well, since their yields will be lower without good pollination. Almond growers are paying a premium price this year for bees. The supply isn’t enough to ensure good pollination and fruit set. “The industry’s ability to pollinate almonds this year is severely compromised because of colony failures. I expect that next year may be worse,” said Bret Adee, NPDF President, and owner of Adee Honey Farms. “Many beekeepers will just not be able to recover from these losses.”
In spite of OPP’s mandate, pesticides continue to kill bees. Acute kills from illegal sprays on blooming crops or weeds are part of the problem. Jeremy Anderson, fourth-generation beekeeper, noted “Many insecticide labels disallow spraying blooming crops; but if it happens, penalties for violating the rules are few and far between. Just an acute exposure is enough to kill honey bees.”
After opening many of the hives and viewing sick honey bees, Jones was able to discern the difference between healthy honey bees, and a sick hive. He also heard from beekeepers there is a serious need for better enforcement of label restrictions. “There are no consequences for applying pesticides near beehives—state lead agencies responsible for enforcement usually do not investigate honey bee kills,” Anderson said.
Beekeepers are also concerned about pesticide exposures that don’t kill the bees outright, but may affect their ability to thrive. The bee industry is concerned several classes of insecticides, including systemic neonicotinoids and pyrethroids, and some fungicides and growth regulators may impair the immune system, causing queen or brood failure, compromising homing abilities of forager bees, and/or disrupting communications within the hive, all of which contribute to colony loss. We strongly urge the EPA to re-evaluate these compounds long term using tier testing protocols that can give us the answers we need to mitigate losses.
Some pesticides are long-lived and persistent in the environment. The pyrethroid pesticides are found in the wax of most hives that have spent time in agricultural areas. Neonicotinoids are more frequently found in the nectar and pollen stores in the hive. A recent study of more than 800 hives from Pennsylvania State University found an average of six different pesticides, and as many as 39 in a single hive. In the paper, the authors noted: “We concluded that the 98 pesticides and metabolites detected in mixtures up to 214 ppm in bee pollen alone represented a remarkably high level for toxicants in the food of brood and adults. While exposure to many of these neurotoxicants elicits acute and sublethal reductions in honey bee fitness, the effects of these materials in combinations, and their direct involvement in Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) remain to be determined.”
Because of the close affiliation of the EPA with the agrochemical industry (campaign funding and the constant interchange of personnel between the two) few beekeepers or farmers have any hope of protection from the EPA. The present system of "conditional release" of agrochemicals based on preliminary, minimal testing is completely inadequate.
On March 21st a coalition of beekeepers, environmental groups and consumer groups filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency for approving the registration of pesticides they claim are harming bees and other pollinators. They are asking for an immediate suspension of the neonicotinoid pesticides clothianidin and thiamethoxam which have been proven highly toxic to bees and responsible for major bee kills. For more information go to Boulder County Beekeepers' Association and listen to June Stoyer and Tom Theobald talk with environmental lawyer Peter Jenkins. In Ontario, Canada after devastating losses beekeepers are asking federal and provincial governments to increase pesticide regulations, particularly those dealing with the neonicotinoid family of insecticides (More pesticide regulations needed). Similarly, in Britain MPs accuse the government of an "extraordinarily complacent approach" to protecting bees, and urge the government to ban use of neonicotinoid pesticides (Ban Pesticides to Protect Bees).
With the massive increase in GM Corn and Soy planting (much of it former grasslands) containing neonicotinoid systemic pesticides the available good, healthy forage for pollinators is diminishing quickly. The agrochemical corporations have monopolized the seed industry and therefore our food supply with the support of the government, leaving farmers with little affordable alternatives. What can we do? Demand GMO labelling in your jurisdiction. Buy locally produced, organic, non gmo food products. Let you local government representative know about your objection to the release of pesticides with substandard testing.
On March 20th at 9 a.m EDT (real early for the west coasters) Barb Bloetsher the state apiarist with the Ohio Department of Agriculture will be presenting a beekeeping webinar entitled "Protecting Honey Bees from Pesticides". She will be discussing ways beekeepers can prevent pesticide poisoning, and where to find diagnostic and informational resources.
In the past pesticide poisoning has often been improperly diagnosed or not reported so the scope of the problem was unknown. Over the last 10 years, despite the efforts of the agrochemical giants (Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer, Dow and Dupont) to suppress knowledge of the adverse effects of pesticides (particularly the neonicotinoid pesticides) it has become absolutely clear that pesticides are a major threat to the world's bee population (Insecticides and Bees, Ban Neonicotinoid Pesticides, Neonicotinoids Kill Bees in Ontario, Pesticide Banned in France, Pesticide Suspect in Bee Deaths, Monsanto the Evil Empire). This is why support of your local, organic farmer is absolutely critical to the health of bees, the environment and ultimately us.
For those who have not partaken in a Ohio State University Webinar go to the following link Login at 8:55 a.m, March 20th and login as a guest. The O.S.U Webinar series are free and they are a great educational tool! The webinars are participatory so you may be asked questions and you may also ask questions. Here is the upcoming schedule of 2013 Webinars.
March 20: Barb Bloetscher, Protecting honey bees from pesticides
April 10: Dr. Jim Tew, Swarms and swarm management
May 15: Dr. Reed Johnson, Broodmapper: citizen science for beekeepers
June 19: Kim Flottum, Setting up the honey house (big and small)
July 17: Alex Zomchek, "Green" honey harvesting
August 21: Dr. Mark Headings, Skunk behavior in the bee yard
September 18: Dr. Thomas Janini, Beehive chemistry: hive communication
For those of you unable to make it to the webinar (i.e. west coasters still sleeping) fear not as they are recorded and available at the O.S.U Beelab here or in the Webinar section of our Beekeepers' Library. Enjoy!
Sad but true. The honey bee is completely altruistic and selfless which never stops to amaze me. Too bad us humans couldn't act a little more like honey bees.
I am continuously seeking knowledge about beekeeping and have found to my surprise that American universities provide a wealth of free online educational services which include beekeeping. As a Canadian I have found to my dismay that Canadian universities provide virtually no free online educational services. Although there are many great American university sources of information on beekeeping I have found Ohio State and Dr. James Tew to be particularly useful. A posting I made last year, Beekeeping 101 lists powerpoint presentations, books and videos available to enable someone to begin their backyard beekeeping experience. Many people have asked me if it is possible to learn on your own about beekeeping and I have responded that it completely depends on the individual. I should add that I think that actual hands on experience with experienced beekeepers is a must. Also, I believe that one of the intriguing aspects of beekeeping that it is a process of continuous learning.
A wonderful new addition to our learning experience has been provided by the University of California. The U of C has created a "Honey Bees and Colony Strength Evaluation" powerpoint presentation that is a great starting point of information for the backyard beekeeper. The colony strength evaluation is geared more towards the professional pollinator but is still a good knowledge base for the backyard beekeeper. To begin the free online course create a new account at Registration.
Some of our girls after way too much coffee at Cottonwood Community Garden
Scientist, ecologist and author Vandana Shiva discusses the present and future reality of seed production. A brilliant speaker, she articulately clarifies the present day seed production monopolization which is occurring as we speak. A handful of agro corporations are monopolizing the world's seed production by buying out seed companies (including organic seed producers) and patenting their genetically modified seeds. As a result non genetically modified seeds are in short supply and have become expensive. Farmers no longer have a choice as to which seed to buy (The Truth about GM Crops).
The seed is the essence of life, from which each generation more seeds are freely and naturally reproduced. This is the natural way of things since the beginning. The seed corporations are attempting to change all of this. If these gm seed producers are successful all seeds will be genetically modified, patented and contain systemic pesticides that make the whole plant toxic to bees and us. Cargill, the seed producer says "They create seeds that prevent bees from usurping (stealing) pollen". According to Monsanto "Roundup Ready Seeds prevent weeds from stealing sunshine". The truth is that bees do not steal pollen but as pollinators create life naturally and roundup ready seeds have produced super weeds immune to herbicide.
Here is a list of non gm, Monsanto-free seed companies, Monsanto-free seed companies.
"Without Seed Freedom there is no Food Freedom"
Vandana Shiva
You do have the right to know how your food is produced!
Genetically modified crops were sold by the Agrochemical corporations as the answer to feeding the world's ever growing population. In reality gm crops have created superweeds, require more herbicides and pesticides, produce lower yields, have escalated seed prices and ultimately made the availability of non gm crops (seeds) extremely difficult. The natural spread (wind, bird ...) of patented gm seeds has made it extremely difficult to find non gm seeds because of cross pollination. Due to the monopolization of the seed market very little non gm seeds are now produced and are done so at a high price. The truth is it is hard for a farmer to find non gm seeds today and if they do they are expensive. Also, the gm seed is patented by the agrochemical corporations (Agrochemical Corp) and because of natural seed spread they can legitimately sue everyone that has their patented plant growing on their land even unintentionally and they are. This monopolization of the production of our food is difficult to combat because of the corruption that exists in the highest levels of our government. The politicians and agricultural research are funded by these same agrochemical corporations producing the patented gm seeds.
What can you do to combat the unhealthy monopolization of our food production by the agrochemical giants like Monsanto that in the past have given us products like DDT, Agent Orange, Dioxins, PCB's, Plant Growth Hormone .... all of which have proven to cause horrible suffering (cancer, birth defects...) and death to millions of humans and devastation to the environment. Be aware! Speak out! Support the labelling of gm products. Unfortunately most of the food products consumed now contain gm products. Support your local, organic farmers and beekeepers.
"By small and simple acts are great things brought to pass."
One of my girls enjoying a Johnson's Hardy Blue Geranium
Spring is not far off and that means it's time to think about buying your bee nucs or packages. Lindsey at Urban Bee and Bob at West Coast Bee Supply have their usual shipment of New Zealand Packages (Usually Carnie mixes from Arataki) arriving from February until May. A few local beekeepers have announced that they will have local nucs available starting in May. Eric, (a RBA member) has some local (Fraser Valley), overwintered nucs with August queens, treated with Thymol for mites and Fumigilin for Nosema available at the beginning of March.
I think everyone agrees that if at all possible local bees are the way to go. Sometimes this unavoidable especially if you want to start early in the season. If you are patient (I'm not) there are always local (even small cell) nucs available from May to September.
For more information go to the Bees for Sale page of our website.
Neonicotinoids are the first new class of insecticides introduced in the last 50 years. Developed in the 90's by Bayer they target the nervous system of their intended victim and their predominant use is systemically which means that the insecticide exists within rather than on the plant (Neonicotinoids). To have a new insecticide approved a agrochemical company must produce studies (funded by themselves) that prove the general safety of the new product. Most of the public are unaware that the government does no testing. They rely on the testing that is produced by the corporation that stands to profit by the positive results. In most cases the tests are short term and small scale and prove the intended objective of the corporation funding the testing. Most North American and European politicians receive some funding from agrochemical companies and in the U.S their is a revolving door from these companies to top positions in the government (Governments and Agrochemical Companies).
Former Monsanto employees currently hold positions in US government agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Supreme Court. These include:
Michael A. Friedman, MD, was Senior Vice President of Research and Development, Medical and Public Policy for Pharmacia, and later served as an FDA deputy commissioner.[222][223]
Linda J. Fisher was an assistant administrator at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) before she was a vice president at Monsanto from 1995 to 2000. In 2001, Fisher became the deputy administrator of the EPA.[114]
Michael R. Taylor was an assistant to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner before he left to work for a law firm, one client of which was Monsanto. Taylor then became deputy commissioner of the FDA from 1991 to 1994, during which time the FDA approved rBST.[114] Anti-GM activists accused him of conflict of interest but a Federal investigation cleared him. Taylor was later re-appointed to the FDA in August 2009 by President Barack Obama.[224][225]
United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas worked as an attorney for Monsanto in the 1970s. Thomas wrote the majority opinion in the 2001 Supreme Court decision J. E. M. Ag Supply, Inc. v. Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.[226] which found that "newly developed plant breeds are patentable under the general utility patent laws of the United States."[114][226][227]
Public officials with indirect connections or who worked for Monsanto after leaving public office include:
Mickey Kantor served on Monsanto's board after serving in government as a trade representative.[114]
William D. Ruckelshaus served as the first head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970, was subsequently acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and then Deputy Attorney General of the United States. From 1983 to 1985, he returned as EPA administrator. After leaving government he joined the Board of Directors of Monsanto; he is currently retired from that board.[228]
Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was chairman and chief executive officer of G. D. Searle & Company, which Monsanto purchased in 1985. Rumsfeld's stock and options in Searle were $12 million USD at the time of the transaction.
Initially the neonicotinoid in the video below was given a conditional release and although further studies were required by law none were produced and the chemical use has become widespread.
Due to the corruption that exists in the North American governments it is impossible to get any action taken against these toxic neonicotinoid insecticides. However, the European governments are less corrupt and have responded to the public demand and restricted the use in many countries. Right now the EU is deciding whether or not to ban the use of neonicotinoid insecticides. The proof that neonicotinoids are dangerous not only to bees but all living things is monumental (Killing Bees, Canadian Beekeepers, Neonicotinoids kill Bees, Insecticides and Bees, GE Corn ).
This from Purdue University:
Honeybee deaths linked to seed insecticide exposure
ABSTRACT
Multiple Routes of Pesticide Exposure
for Honeybees Living Near Agricultural Fields
Christian H. Krupke, Greg J. Hunt, Brian D. Eitzer, Gladys Andino, Krispn Given
Populations of honeybees and other pollinators have declined worldwide in recent years. A variety of stressors have been implicated as potential causes, including agricultural pesticides. Neonicotinoid insecticides, which are widely used and highly toxic to honeybees, have been found in previous analyses of honeybee pollen and comb material. However, the routes of exposure have remained largely undefined. We used LC/MS-MS to analyze samples of honeybees, pollen stored in the hive and several potential exposure routes associated with plantings of neonicotinoid treated maize. Our results demonstrate that bees are exposed to these compounds and several other agricultural pesticides in several ways throughout the foraging period. During spring, extremely high levels of clothianidin and thiamethoxam were found in planter exhaust material produced during the planting of treated maize seed. We also found neonicotinoids in the soil of each field we sampled, including unplanted fields. Plants visited by foraging bees (dandelions) growing near these fields were found to contain neonicotinoids as well. This indicates deposition of neonicotinoids on the flowers, uptake by the root system, or both. Dead bees collected near hive entrances during the spring sampling period were found to contain clothianidin as well, although whether exposure was oral (consuming pollen) or by contact (soil/planter dust) is unclear. We also detected the insecticide clothianidin in pollen collected by bees and stored in the hive. When maize plants in our field reached anthesis, maize pollen from treated seed was found to contain clothianidin and other pesticides; and honeybees in our study readily collected maize pollen. These findings clarify some of the mechanisms by which honeybees may be exposed to agricultural pesticides throughout the growing season. These results have implications for a wide range of large-scale annual cropping systems that utilize neonicotinoid seed treatments.
From toxicologist Dr. Henk Tennekes
"In this segment of The Organic View, host, June Stoyer speaks to esteemed toxicologist and author, Dr. Henk Tennekes, about his research and discuss this monumental devastation that will affect us on a global scale. Dr. Henk Tennekes has been involved with cancer research for most of his career. His work regarding bees began after reading an official report to the Dutch Minister of Agriculture on the decline of bees. He was amazed at the lack of information on insecticides as a possible factor in the bee decline. Dr. Tennekes then began to research the impact of neonicotinoid insecticides such as imidacloprid and clothianidin. He discovered that they were identical to those of genotoxic carcinogens. These chemicals are not only affecting the honeybees but other species that are not closely monitored such as butterflies and other insects. He began to study the food habits of declining bird species and discovered that they depended on invertebrates. Dr. Tennekes is convinced that there is a link between the use of neonics and the decline of insects and birds. Some countries such as Germany have already banned the use of these chemicals. However, if these applications are not banned, there will be an impending environmental catastrophe that is irreversible."
To see studies done on the effects of insecticides and bees go to our Beekeepers' Library. To help Europe and it's bees go to Ban the Neonicotinoids and sign the petition to support the EU's decision to ban the use of neonicotinoid insecticides.
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