Commercially bred bees spread disease to wild bees

Reuters ^ | Jul 22, 2008 | Will Dunham

[decimon]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Disease spread to wild bees from commercially bred bees used for pollination in agriculture greenhouses may be playing a role in the mysterious decline in North American bee populations, researchers said on Tuesday.

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"All of the different species of bumblebees that we sampled around greenhouses showed the same pattern: really high levels of infection near greenhouses and then declining levels of infection as you moved out," said Michael Otterstatter of the University of Toronto, one of the researchers.

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[decimon]

And that's the buzz.

[gusopol3]

makes more sense than the cell phone theory

[decimon]

makes more sense than the cell phone theory

Yeah, but giving bees cell phones was still a mistake.

[wolfcreek]

GMO?

[hellbender]

Disease spread to wild bees

To bee or not to bee, that is the question.

For example, a virus brought from Australia has been implicated in massive honeybee deaths last year.

More unintended consequences of globalism. Just wait till the commercial bees are imported from China.

[junkman_106]

I AIN’T READIN’ NO COMMERCIALS FROM NO COMMIE BEES!

[junkman_106]

Unintended consequences from a report of commercial space being sold on NYC subways to Muslim advertising group headed by a terrorist.

[decimon]

GMO?

WTH?

[wolfcreek]

Google is your FRiend.

http://www.ornl.gov/hgmis/elsi/gmfood.shtml

[decimon]

Google is your FRiend.

Far more than you. Why would I waste my time on that?

[Calpernia]

Maybe GMO.

I wouldn’t rule out seed coating though. There has been an increase in the use of imidacloprid also at the same time as the decline in honey bees.

Hazards of imidacloprid seed coating - affects orientation flights, foraging bees
http://www.univ-tours.fr/irbi/UIEIS/Theses-DEA/Lefebvre-these.pdf

[wolfcreek]

“Why would I waste my time on that?”

I DON’T KNOW! Too Lazy...closeminded?

[Calpernia]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1785723/posts?page=41#41

Effects of sub-lethal imidacloprid doses on the
homing rate and foraging activity of honey bees

Treated honey bees also showed anomalous
flying behaviour: they often fell in the grass and their
flight direction was not towards the hive. Treated bees
seemed to be disoriented, and that could be the cause of
their disappearance.

[Calpernia]

http://www.flora.org/healthyottawa/HRSS-CHOsubmissionOct05.doc

Imidacloprid Facts – all about the grub-killer “Merit”

* Imidacloprid is a chlorinated nicotinoid compound, that affects the nervous system.
* Imidacloprid is very toxic to earth worms and bees and is restricted in France because of plummeting bee populations.
* Imidacloprid kills parasitic wasps that control grub larvae. This is counter-productive, setting the stage for repeated, more extensive infestations.
* Imidacloprid is applied to seeds because it acts as a bird repellent. Birds such as starlings and robins eat very large numbers of grubs. Repelling this important natural control would be counter-productive.
* The label stipulates that food crops cannot be planted for a year after imidacloprid application. Thus, two growing seasons would have elapsed before harvest. It is not being proposed that our children be afforded the protection of two growing seasons before exposure to turf that has been treated with imidacloprid.
* Breakdown of imidacloprid in the environment is very complex and slow, and some degradation products are more toxic than the parent compound. Thus, the possibility exists that soil will become more toxic rather than less toxic with the passage of time. This may not happen if sufficient pesticide was washed away, but pollution of our water is not a desirable outcome either.
* The New York State Department is concerned that imidacloprid is found in an “increasing number of detections in private homeowner wells”
* (http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/insect-mite/fenitrothion-methylpara/imidacloprid/imidacloprid_let_1004.html)
* Imidacloprid is extremely long-lasting. It has a half-life up to 730 days, yet is approved for annual applications. It has been observed to build up over the years, in agricultural application.
* Constant exposure to pesticides fosters pesticide resistance. Resistance to imidacloprid has appeared within as little as 2 years. Insecticides should be reserved for when they are badly needed to protect public health.
* Imidacloprid degrades into toxic, persistent, 2-chloropyridine. This was not considered in the federal assessment.
* Inert ingredients / contaminants of the imidacloprid product “Merit” have been reported to include the carcinogens naphthalene and crystalline silica. (http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/Actives/imidaclo.htm)
* Historically, imidacloprid was granted at least three temporary registrations by the PMRA, in spite of missing environmental fate data.
* Commissioner for the Environment, Johanne Gélinas, has repeatedly criticised the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) for granting temporary registrations when important data is lacking. (http://www.flora.org/healthyottawa/pmra-fs-6.htm)
* As of April 2005, the PMRA fully registered two commercial insecticides containing Imidacloprid: Merit Solupack Insecticide (Reg. No. 25932) and Merit 0.5 G insecticide (Reg. No. 25933), which have expiry dates of December 31, 2010. The PMRA still does not have complete environmental fate data.

Health Effects of Pesticides
Acute effects of pesticide exposure range from irritation of the nose, eyes and throat, burning, itching and rashes, to difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, headaches and general malaise2. In the longer term, scientific studies reveal links between pesticide exposure and higher risk of leukemia3, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma4, soft tissue sarcomas5, neuroblastoma6 and prostate cancer.7 Children are particularly susceptible to harm from pesticides, even before birth and possibly before conception.8 Pesticides may cause birth defects,9 developmental delays, hyperactivity, behavioural disorders, motor dysfunction, 10 nervous system disruption11 and immunotoxicity12. These translate into cancer, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, Parkinson’s disease, autism and attention deficits, lower IQ and hypothyroidism. Harm from pesticides is responsible for high social and monetary costs.13

[Calpernia]

Garden ping

[Calpernia]

Emphasis:

Children are particularly susceptible to harm from pesticides, even before birth and possibly before conception.8 Pesticides may cause birth defects,9 developmental delays, hyperactivity, behavioural disorders, motor dysfunction, 10 nervous system disruption11 and immunotoxicity12. These translate into cancer, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, Parkinson’s disease, autism and attention deficits, lower IQ and hypothyroidism.

[Calpernia]

ping

[Calpernia]

bump

[nw_arizona_granny]

Thanks for the ping.

[Grizzled Bear]

“Why would I waste my time on that?”

I DON’T KNOW! Too Lazy...closeminded?

Maybe Decimon's got a life?