Wild Bees' Numbers Plummet as Pesticide Use Increases - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog (Beyond Pesticides, June 9, 2015) Agricultural pesticides are sprayed intensively throughout the growing season in New York’s conventional apple orchards. Researchers at Cornell University found that as the use of pesticides on these farms increased, the abundance of wild bees declined significantly. The study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, focuses on the effects of conventional pesticide use on wild bees, which have often been overlooked in the midst of an ongoing crisis with managed honey bee colonies. “Because production of our most nutritious foods, including many fruits, vegetables and even oils, rely on animal pollination, there is an intimate tie between pollinator and human well-being,” said Mia Park, an assistant professor at the University of North Dakota and the paper’s first author, who worked on the study as a Cornell entomology PhD graduate student. Ms. Park and her colleagues analyzed wild bee populations on 19 apples orchards across the state of New York between 2011 and 2012. Data was broken down by class of pesticide (fungicide, insecticide, herbicides), and timing of applications (before, during, and after flower bloom). Researchers also analyzed the percentage of natural areas within the surrounding landscape. The study uncovered a number of […]

Wild #Bee Numbers Plummet as #Pesticide Use Increases#SaveOurBees #BeeKindObama

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White House Plan Does Little to Take the Sting Out of Pollinator Declines - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog (Washington, DC, May 20, 2015) Yesterday,  the White House released its much awaited plan for protecting American pollinators, which identifies key threats, but falls short of recommendations submitted by Beyond Pesticides, beekeepers, and others who stress that pollinator protection begins with strong regulatory action and suspension of bee-toxic pesticides. The Pollinator Health Task Force, established by President Obama in June 2014, brought together most federal agencies to “reverse pollinator losses and help restore populations to healthy levels,” and involved developing a National Pollinator Health Strategy and a Pollinator Research Action Plan. The Strategy outlines several components, such as a focus on increased pollinator habitat, public education and outreach, and further research into a range of environmental stressors, including systemic neonicotinoid pesticides. Although well-intentioned, the Strategy ultimately works at cross-purposes by encouraging habitat, but continuing to allow pesticides that contaminate landscapes. “Waiting for additional research before taking action on neonicotinoid pesticides, which current science shows are highly toxic to bees, will not effectively stem pollinator declines, and is unlikely to achieve the National Pollinator Health Strategy’s goal of reducing honey bee losses to no more than 15% within 10 years,” said Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides. A major component […]

White House Plan Does Little to Take the Sting Out of #Pollinator Declines#Pesticides #Neonics #BeeKindObama

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Tell the President to #BeeKindObama and #SaveOurBees from #Neonic Addiction!!
Call Today- May 5th!

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It’s time for President Obama to protect bees from toxic pesticides before it’s too late #AgDay #BeeKindObama

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Study Shows the Benefits of Pesticide-free Pollinator Habitat - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog (Beyond Pesticides, March 17, 2015) Foraging bumblebees would prefer to dodge traffic rather than pesticides and other agricultural chemicals, according to the results of a new study published in the Journal of Insect Conservation. Researchers from Plymouth University in England discovered that the number of bumblebees observed foraging plants along roadsides was over twice the number located in adjacent patches facing agricultural crops. As both native and managed bees continue to decline throughout the globe, this research strengthens calls from farming and environmental groups to improve agricultural practices through increased on-farm diversity, and sharp reductions in the use of pesticides, particularly systemic chemicals such as neonicotinoids. Mick Hanley, Ph.D., lead author of the study, explains, “There have been hedgerows and field boundaries in these locations for centuries, and even if you go back 50 or 60 years, you would not have  seen this phenomenon. Both sides of hedgerows would have been flourishing, and bees and other insects would have been numerous on both sides, but that was before an increase in the use of fertilizers.” However, it is likely the use of agrichemicals that has caused such a stark discrepancy between roadside and farm-side habitats. “Now what you see is […]

Study Shows the Benefits of #Pesticide-free #Pollinator Habitat#SaveOurBees #BeeKindObama

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Chemical Landscape and Nursery Industry Says Bee Friendly Habitat “Not Viable” - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog (Beyond Pesticides, March 11, 2015)   The White House’s recommendations for pollinator-friendly landscaping at federal facilities are “largely unachievable,” according to trade groups AmericanHort and the Society of American Florists. The groups believe that growing plants that attract and feed honey bees, wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators without a reliance on persistent, systemic and toxic pesticides that can harm them is “not a viable recommendation.” This comes in spite of several initiatives already taken by nurseries across the country to limit or restrict the use of systemic neonicotinoid pesticides on nursery and ornamental plant production. Last fall, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) announced new guidelines for federal agencies to incorporate pollinator friendly practices at federal facilities and on federal lands. Critical to pollinator health within these guidelines is a requirement that agencies should “[a]cquire seeds and plants from nurseries that do not treat their plants with systemic insecticides.” Further, the document states that, “Chemical controls that can adversely affect pollinator populations should not be applied in pollinator habitats. This includes herbicides, broad spectrum contact and systemic insecticides, and some fungicides.” Concurrent with CEQ’s announcement, the General Services Administration (GSA) also stated it is in the process […]

Chemical Landscape and Nursery Industry Says #Bee Friendly Habitat “Not Viable”#SaveOurBees #BeeKindObama

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Earlier today groups delivered *4 Million* signatures asking the President #BeeKindObama & suspend neonic pesticides!

President @BarackObama and @WhiteHouse: Take action to suspend bee-toxic neonic pesticides! #BeeKindObama

#BeeKindObama! @BarackObama and @WhiteHouse: take action on bee-killing #pesticides and #saveourbees!

action.beyondpesticides.org/p/dia/action3/…

Will White House Help Bees, as Declines Threaten to Sting Consumers' Wallets, and States Respond? - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog (Beyond Pesticides, February 24, 2015) According to recent reports from local California news outlets, Honey Bees are in Short Supply In Central Valley, with the risk that consumers across the United States will be seeing higher prices on fruits, nuts, and vegetables this year as a consequence of declining honey bee populations. The ongoing pollinator crisis has resulted in greater than 30% of managed bee colonies dying off each winter since 2006, an unsustainable rate that will inevitably impact the pocketbooks of consumers in the U.S. and may even ultimately result in global malnutrition. But that doesn’t have to be the outcome. As Beyond Pesticides continues to remind concerned residents, although there are a number of hazards affecting honey bee populations, this crisis is No Longer a Big Mystery. The scientific evidence shows that a class of toxic, persistent, systemic chemicals called neonicotinoids present immense risks to honey bees and other pollinator species. Twenty-nine scientists spanning multiple disciplines analyzed over 800 peer-reviewed papers on the subject came to a similar conclusion. “The assessment found that both individuals and populations can be adversely affected by low or acute exposure making them highly vulnerable. Pollinators exposed to contaminated pollen, nectar and water […]

Will White House Help #Bees as Declines Threaten to Sting Consumers’ Wallets?#SaveOurBees #BeeKindObama

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Will Pollinator Declines Increase Global Malnutrition and Disease? Yes, Says New Study - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog (Beyond Pesticides, January 28, 2015) Global decline of pollinators and pollination services will have a devastating impact on the nutritional health of people in developing countries, especially women and children, if left unabated, according to a new study from scientists at the University of Vermont and Harvard University. This research is the first to examine how pollinators influence nutrient intake and the risk of nutrient deficiency. It also comes at a time when policy makers are slow to find long-term sustainable solutions to reversing pollinator declines, despite mounting scientific evidence urging immediate action. Pollination services are valued at over $125 billion globally and pollinators are responsible for one in three bites of food we eat. However, pollinators like honey bees, wild bees, butterflies and others are in decline around the globe, with many beekeepers, scientists, and environmental activists singling out pesticides as a major contributing factor. But despite suggestions that pollinators are critical not only for global food supply, but specifically human nutritional health, there has not been any research to support this claim until now. The study, “Do Pollinators Contribute to Nutritional Health,” published in PLoS ONE, combined data on crop pollination requirements, food nutrient densities, and actual human […]

Will @Pollinator Declines Increase Global #Malnutrition and #Disease? Yes, Says New Study#SaveOurBees #BeeKindObama

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#EPA finds #neonic-coated seeds have no benefits to #farmers. Take action now! Here's how:#SaveOurBees #BeeKindObama

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Over 100 Scientists Call for Action on Bee-Toxic Pesticides - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog (Beyond Pesticides, November 26, 2014) Last week, over 100 scientists from diverse disciplines released a letter citing the growing body of scientific evidence that neonicotinoids and other systemic pesticides harm bees, and called on leaders of President Barack Obama’s Pollinator Health Task Force to quickly take action on pesticides to protect and promote healthy populations of bees and other pollinators. The letter was submitted in response to the recent “listening sessions” hosted by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). These sessions were held by the agencies to  collect public  feedback  on federal efforts on pollinator protection, and the Task Force convened to develop a National Pollinator Health Strategy. In June, the White House issued a Presidential Memorandum directing federal agencies to  join the  Pollinator Health Task Force, led by USDA, to develop pollinator health solutions. The 108 scientists ””whose areas of expertise include entomology, agronomy, ecology, ecotoxicology”” called on Task Force co-chairs, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, to place a moratorium on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in the U.S., and increase investment, research and funding for growers to adopt alternatives. In the letter, the scientists note that, “While gaps […]

100+ Businesses Urge #Obama Administration to Suspend #Bee-Toxic #Pesticides#SaveOurBees #BeeKindObama

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Thanks to all who asked POTUS to #BeeKindObama during the week of action! Continue sharing your story w/@TakePart!

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Pres. @BarackObama: Why are #bees still waiting for protections from #neonics? #BeeKindObama

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Share your story on how important #bees are in your life, and why the President must #BeeKindObama and #SaveOurBees!

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Pres @BarackObama:We need bees for 1 in 3 bites of our food,but they're in trouble from toxic #neonics! #BeeKindObama

President @BarackObama: Take action to suspend bee-toxic neonic #pesticides! #BeeKindObama

President @BarackObama: #Bees need a special gift this year - suspend bee-toxic #neonic pesticides! #BeeKindObama

Join the action this week! Snap a selfie asking the President to #BeeKindObama! The details:

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#BeeKindObama: suspend neonics not just for honey bees, but birds, earthworms & other life affected by these harmful pesticides @BarackObama

All this week, let @BarackObama know you care about #bees! Tell the President to #BeeKindObama & suspend #neonics!

Neonic efficacy in spotlight as Ontario plans to curb usage Ontario’s move to enact ‘near ban’ on pesticide class linked to bee deaths brings age-old practices, farmer-business tensions to light

Ontario will reduce the use of #neonic-treated seeds by 80%@Whitehouse: US pollinators need action! #BeeKindObama

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President @BarackObama: Take action to suspend bee-toxic #neonic pesticides! #BeeKindObama

Join the Social Media Action this week! Tell the President: #BeeKindObama!

bit.ly/BeeKindObama