A disturbing article today seen on Yahoo sourced by AP gives some insight on how well the honeybee population did over the winter.
Not well.
A federal survey released findings that indicated heavy losses in the honeybee population. This, along with data showing pesticides present in pollen and honeybee hives, may be indicative of a relationship.
A study published Friday in the scientific journal PLOS (Public Library of Science) One found about three out of five pollen and wax samples from 23 states had at least one systemic pesticide — a chemical designed to spread throughout all parts of a plant.
EPA officials said they are aware of problems involving pesticides and bees and the agency is “very seriously concerned.” The pesticides are not a risk to honey sold to consumers, federal officials say. (Source: AP News story on Yahoo)
I’m glad the EPA is concerned. In any case, so am I and so are the myriad beekeepers that suffered huge losses this winter. And so should we all – more than one third of our diet is made possible by the honeybee.
Will
I’ll probably add an entry on this pretty soon, but in the interim – here’s a link to a great resource – 20 ways to resist pesticides in your everyday life. Some of these are amazingly simple – such as the choices you make at the grocery store or even clothing choices.
http://www.panna.org/resources/advisor/20ways
Regards,
Will
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