EPA Buzz Kill: Is the Agency Hiding Colony Collapse Disorder Information?

[DogPoundPup]

Source: National Resouces Defense Council

WASHINGTON, DC (August 18, 2008) – The Natural Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit today to uncover critical information that the US government is withholding about the risks posed by pesticides to honey bees. NRDC legal experts and a leading bee researcher are convinced that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has evidence of connections between pesticides and the mysterious honey bee die-offs reported across the country. The phenomenon has come to be called “colony collapse disorder,” or CCD, and it is already proving to have disastrous consequences for American agriculture and the $15 billion worth of crops pollinated by bees every year.

EPA has failed to respond to NRDC’s Freedom of Information Act request for agency records concerning the toxicity of pesticides to bees, forcing the legal action.

“Recently approved pesticides have been implicated in massive bee die-offs and are the focus of increasing scientific scrutiny,” said NRDC Senior Attorney Aaron Colangelo. “EPA should be evaluating the risks to bees before approving new pesticides, but now refuses to tell the public what it knows. Pesticide restrictions might be at the heart of the solution to this growing crisis, so why hide the information they should be using to make those decisions?”

In 2003, EPA granted a registration to a new pesticide manufactured by Bayer CropScience under the condition that Bayer submit studies about its product’s impact on bees. EPA has refused to disclose the results of these studies, or if the studies have even been submitted. The pesticide in question, clothianidin, recently was banned in Germany due to concerns about its impact on bees. A similar insecticide was banned in France for the same reason a couple of years before. In the United States, these chemicals still are in use despite a growing consensus among bee specialists that pesticides, including clothianidin and its chemical cousins, may contribute to CCD.


Read more: http://www.nrdc.org/media/2008/080818a.asp

---

More from article:
"Despite bees’ critical role for farmers, consumers, and the environment, the federal government has been slow to address the die-off since the alarm bells started in 2006. In recent Congressional hearings, USDA was unable to account for the $20 million that Congress has allocated to the department for fighting CCD in the last two years.

“This is a real mystery right now,” said Dr. Gabriela Chavarria, director of NRDC’s Science Center. “EPA needs to help shed some light so that researchers can get to work on this problem. This isn’t just an issue for farmers -- this is an issue that concerns us all. Just try to imagine a pizza without the contribution of bees! No tomatoes. No cheese. No peppers. If you eat apples, cucumbers, broccoli, onions, squash, carrots, avocados, or cherries, you need to be concerned.”

[TomInTib]

1. Now, we are getting somewhere.

Those bastards have been sitting on this the whole time.

You should re-post this early tomorrow, when half of DU isn't too drunk or stoned to get it.

Just for the record, I am only now drinking my second Gin and Tonic.

KnR

[wordpix]

14. heaven forbid BushCo would ever tell a corporate crony NO

Spray poisons, nuke, build, develop, pave, and bomb---industry must have its way. :puke:

[Digit]

37. I think * is just banking on armageddon, so what do bees matter

I have a brother who is a fundie, and although he and his wife are college grads, they did not bother to encourage their 3 children to go to college.

They act like their is NO future.

Of course all of the kids and their spouses and their children live with them.
They can hardly go out in the world and make it on their own at minimum wage.

It has always seemed to me that * was either trying to bring on the end times, or legislated
like they were upon us anyway.

Pollution, endangered species, monetary policies, wars, and on and on.

So what if we don't have enough bees to pollinate the food, "what me worry"?
(in the words of Alfred E. Neuman)

[elleng]

17. and the whole world

is trying to figure it out!

(lest we think we're the ONLY ones who rely on these bee guys!)

[Juan_de_la_Dem]

19. ditto...on all counts

[pac ketfire]

81. Sorry, There Are No Hidden Secrets About Bee Losses

Sorry to burst everyone's bubble, but while pesticide kills are a problem
for us beekeepers (yes, I am a beekeeper), they have NOTHING to do with CCD.

The NRDC's paranoid fantasy would be difficult to imagine, let
alone implement. Read the article:

from "thedailygreen.com"

[superconnected]

2. I thought Colony Collapse Disorder meant the human race

when I clicked on this.

[nebenaube]

3. Hello.... anybody home? it does.... n/t

[WinkyDink]

7. And it doesn't?

[dysfunctional press]

8. not really...it's one of those myths that some peope take as fact because 'einstein said it'.

nt

[patriotvoice]

49. Einstein probably never said that; the Happening most likely made it up.

"All in all, this looks like a classic case of a useful quote being invented and put into the mouth of a famous person for political purposes."
http://www.snopes.com/quotes/einstein/bees.asp

Without pollinators, our world would be a radically different place. Any plants -- whether ornamental, medicinal, edible -- that require external pollinators would either adapt (perhaps using wind or switching to pod pollination) or die out. Undoubtedly another creature would come in to fill the role bees would leave behind, but those adaptations and specializations would dramatically alter the world we know.

No more honey, crystallized honey, beeswax, royal jelly, propolis, or pollen.

No more of these plants or their derivatives -- they all require external pollinators:
alfalfa
allspice
almonds
Alsike clover
apples
avocado
berseem
blackberries
blueberries
buckwheat
caco
carambolo
cardamom
cashew
celeriac
chayote
cherries
kiwi
Cicer milkvetch
cinnamon
citron
citrus fruits: pummelo, tangelo, tangerine
clovers: Alsike, common, Crimson, red, sweet
cranberries
crownvetch
cucumbers
currants
dewberry
eggplants
garlic
gooseberries
huckleberry
jujube
kenaf
kohlrabi
kola nut
lavendar
litchi
longan
lots
macadamia
mango
melons: cantalope, casaba, crenshaw, honeyball, honeydew, Persian mellow
mustard
nutmeg
parsley
parsnip
passion fruit
peaches (and nectarines)
pears
persimmon
pimenta
plums (and of course prunes)
pumpkin
radish
raspberries
rutabaga
sainfoin
sapote
sunflower
sweetvetch
tea: all of them
trefoils

[dysfunctional press]

75. bees are not the only "external pollinators" out there though...

and not all bees are going away, anyway.

[patriotvoice]

77. That is true, but bees are the most efficient external pollinators.

Especially cultivar bees, like the Russian and the Italian. The majority of the list I posted require efficient external pollinators. Almonds, for example, absolutely cannot pollinate in abundance by wind or feral bees. Without leased bees, almonds would be as rare as hen's teeth; they would become more precious than saffron.

The feral bees that remain, and wind, just will not be enough to meet our current demand. The items we enjoy because of the efficiency of bee pollination would become scarce, and the price would sky rocket. Tea would again be a spice to kill for.

[dysfunctional press]

78. most of the things i enjoy are doing just fine in my garden...

i've never been a tea (or coffee) drinker.

most of the spices from the days of the spice trades were used to cover the taste of rotting meat, prior to refrigeration. part of the reason that the hottest climates have the hottest spices.

[patriotvoice]

79. I was arguing on the Humanity scale, not the Human scale.

Individuals -- like you and me -- will do just fine, but the net affect to Humanity from no cultivar bees will be measurable. Individually, for example, we have lost only 50% of our hives but our net honey (and bee product) output has only dropped slightly thanks to a warm season and strong surviving colonies. They have also well pollinated our couple of acres of crops.

[happyslug]

10. Sorry, this has been a concern for at least four years if not longer

So when I read Colony Collapse I expected something on Honey Bees. Before these Nicotine based insecticides came into general use, Bees were already under stress for various other reasons, but the insecticide seems to have been the death blow.

Some references:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_Collapse_Disorder

http://honeybee.tamu.edu/ccd/index.html

http://www.burtsbees.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentView?contentPageId=531&catalogId=10051&storeId=10001&langId=-1

http://www.hcn.org/issues/342/16891

http://www.cas.psu.edu/spotlight/colony-collapse-disorder.html

[progdonkey]

41. I thought it was a very unfortunate gastrointestinal problem...

Then I realized it was "colonY". :P

[RaleighNCDUer]

62. fully extrapolated

it does.

[Faygo Kid]

4. This is serious business, and a much bigger story than the attention it has gotten.

If this is not reversed, it will be an absolute ecological disaster, in every sense of the word, with repercussions for all of us that can only be imagined.

Thanks for posting.

[cliffordu]

5. Won't this create the kind of crop failures that will lead to the "reduction" of the

population???

I mean like a massive reduction??

[BeHereNow]

6. How convenient, eh?

Rest assured, the powers that be have it under control.
BHN

[cliffordu]

9. Starvation is MUCH easier on the survivors than the bird flu or sars or "nuke-you-lar"

conflagration.....

Makes the dead folks easier to bury, too.

[happyslug]

24. Depends on how dependent any one crop is on bees to pollinate them.

New World Crops (Corn, Beans, Squash, Pumpkins, Potatoes etc) do NOT need bees, they evolved in a Bee less area and thus reply on other pollination methods such as the wind. Through some of these crops still need pollination, such as Pumpkins and Squash, but they evolved using native bees not the Honey bee as a pollinator.

Old World Crops are more dependent on bees, but even some on them are NOT bee dependent.

Examples of Bee Dependent Crops:

Apples
http://aginfo.psu.edu/news/2007/1/HoneyBees.htm

Almonds, Blueberries
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aDNjyziSxiuo&refer=home

List of other Crops that are dependent on bees to some extent:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_plants_pollinated_by_bees

Some plants pollinated themselves but if bees do the work the food product is bigger and better:
That is the case for Blackberries and raspberries:
http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=16039

Potential replacements:
Mason Bees:
http://nbii.gov/portal/community/Communities/Ecological_Topics/Pollinators/Pollinator_Species/Invertebrates/Bees_and_Wasps/Mason_Bees_(Osmia_spp.)/
Other Native bees:
http://attra.ncat.org/new_pubs/attra-pub/nativebee.html
http://www.pollinatorparadise.com/Solitary_Bees/SOLITARY.HTM
http://attra.ncat.org/new_pubs/attra-pub/nativebee.html

The problem with most Honey Bee replacements is they are NOT movable like Honeybees. i.e. you grow them in your area and they live off what is grown in your area. The problem is this cuts out most mono-culture areas, bees can NOT live off one crop that comes to flower for only two weeks. The farmer must provide them other crops to live off, or a crop that flowers for a longer period then most crops OR the bees must move. This is the big problem for Almonds in California, they are grown in one area of the state, you have miles and miles of Almonds. The bees are brought in from all over the US to pollinate the Almonds and then are pulled out for they is nothing else for the bees to feed off after the Almond's Flower stop blooming after about two weeks. Wild and Native Bees can NOT survive in such mono-culture environment so the Honey bee is used.

USDA reports:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?SEQ_NO_115=178403

Most grasses (and thus most Grains) are NOT bee dependent, in fact Grasses and most grains use the wind to pollinate themselves. An example of this is Wheat which is self-pollinated like most "Small Grains". Thus Wheat and other grain crops will NOT be affected by a Shortage of bees:
http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/B1135.htm
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/crpsl2/c529.pdf

Corn (Maize for you Europeans) is Pollinate by the Wind:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/agf-fact/0128.html
http://www.uwex.edu/ces/crops/Pollination.htm
http://encarta.msn.com/media_461555050/wind_pollination.html
http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/bkCD/Pollination/poll_of_crops.html

80% of all pollination is done by Animals, 18% by wind, 2% by Water:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollination

list of pollination of various Crops:
http://www.pollinator.com/bycrop.htm

[cliffordu]

26. Thanks for this.....I have just copied the whole thing to do a little study on the

subject....

I really love DU.....Oh, yes I do....

[happyslug]

28. I made changes, so you may want to do it again

The big factor is how to use Native Bees. The problem with Native bees is they are NOT movable and need more then one crop to come to flower in their neighborhood. Mono-culture and Native bees are NOT possible we may have to go back to the Three Sisters of the American Indians so to give the native bees something to work on.

The Three Sisters, Corn, Beans and Squash:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Sisters_(agriculture)
http://www.carnegiemnh.org/exhibits/north-south-east-west/iroquois/three_sisters.html

[cliffordu]

34. Xcellent! Thanks again!

[iconicgnom]

40. wow. Thanks. You know your subject.

[Raster]

35. thank you for compiling some kick ass info!

Well done!:yourock:

[Historic NY]

11. Something besides weather is making my garden a lots less

productive than it is normally. I have noticed a lot less bees. I mostly see wasps, hornets and the boring bees. I have yet to harvest any beans from thick vines, my zucchini died off real early and peppers are crap. The rest appears iffy.

[wordpix]

13. four years ago when I started my garden in its present spot, my brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cab-

bages were prize winners. Now they're just about nothing. But my corn and beans are great this year, so maybe it's not the bees.

There IS a noticeable reduction. I've seen one, maybe two honeybees this summer---15 yrs. ago, there were so many you could not walk barefoot on a lawn due to the clover and honeybees all over.

[bvar22]

25. HoneyBees don't pollinate corn .

Corn relies on the wind for pollination.
We keep HoneyBees (2 colonies), and they also show no interest in the several different bean crops we grow.

[wordpix]

53. OK, if you're right that explains that---however, in the old days, I saw honeybees on my corn

[dysfunctional press]

76. our garden is doing fantastic...

except for the peppers...not much there.

broccoli cauliflower beets beans tomatoes sunflowers, pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, zuchini...all doing bumper crops.

[northernlights]

12. what I found most depressing

recently was when I read that industry is now turning to another pollinator to replace honey bees. So having weakened and killed off one species, instead of admitting and fixing the problem, they just move on to the next species to destroy.

I figured it was the pesticide. I'd read about France banning it, and I thought I'd read somewhere that we were still using it. Figures.

I consider it practically a duty at this point to organically grow plants that bees love. My yard is loaded with all kinds of little pollinators, including some bees.

We can't depend on "them" to do the right thing. We have to save ourselves. Too bad we can't just dump "them" overboard -- bloated, lazy leeches that the supposed "elite" are....

[cliffordu]

45. Yep. I am going to learn to keep bees, I think.

[yardwork]

15. Bayer makes the treatment for anthrax, Cipro.

[MasonJar]

16. Thank you, NRDC! What would the world be without you and the others

on top of this regime?

[lovuian]

18. Its pesticides and GMO foods they are interlinked

and the problem with the pesticides we have been spraying over and over this years and it stays in the top soil

and does not break up

The EPA has majorly been protecting the Pesticide companies and GMO

Germany France have both halted pesticides...

The Bee is going on the endangered species list

[razors edge]

23. Bingo! GMO is what

the chemicals are modified to interact with. They go hand in hand.

[lovuian]

29. yes this is genetic engineering at its worse

where they used genetic engineering for profit and killed off the bees which means destroyed our pollinators

[Digit]

38. What endangered species list....after you know who gets done with it eom

[dipsydoodle]

47. Seen any of the Prince Charles news link ?

Companies developing genetically modified crops risk creating the biggest environmental disaster "of all time", Prince Charles has warned.

GM crops were damaging Earth's soil and were an experiment "gone seriously wrong", he told the Daily Telegraph.

A future reliance on corporations to mass-produce food would drive millions of farmers off their land, he said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7557644.stm

The Telegraph hadn't gone to him for an interview on the subject : he side tracked them. The reporter said that Charles was so passionate on the subject that he pursued that line instead.

[WriteDown]

55. My bet is on a virus

but at this point it is 100% speculation.

[Willo]

20. I recently saw a documentary on this

the colonies are disappearing so quickly. Beekeepers have been importing bees from australia and those die (disappear) as well. Definitely a global crisis.

It seems to be a combination of things...pesticides, cell phone/tower radiation.

[NoFederales]

21. Damned straight it's pesticides, but who cares? Never heard of

NRDC, I'll be checking.

How stupid are these companies, anyway? The natural world is dying. Every thing that disappears steepens eradication for the natural inhabitants of this world.

There seems to be no end to the toxically ignorant...and their toxins.

NoFederales

[HopeHoops]

22. I have honey bees this year - not many, but they are here.

I also have a large dog who isn't inspired by the sales pitch from ChemLawn and the likes. She is allowed to express her opinion to them. It saves me a lot of breath.

I have clover. It blooms all over the yard. The honey bees love it. Apparently, so does my vegetable garden since they don't just hang out in the clover. I'm one of three in the neighborhood who refuse to have poison sprayed on our "lawns". We have yards, not lawns. There are no bees in the other yards - why would there be? There isn't anything of interest in those yards - er, lawns.

Of course the EPA is hiding something - the lawn poison industry must be getting a pretty good ROI for their support of Bush.

I saw exactly three honey bees last year. This year I've lost count, but it is still low compared to years past. When the truth comes out in decades to come, I'm betting the reality is that the lawn poison industry knew exactly what was killing the bees (them) and quietly changed their formula. The apologists can keep working on their "weird virus" theory.

I have clover, no poison, and honey bees. I'm also really pissed off at the Bush EPA.

[CountAllVotes]

73. there have been a lot of honey bees here where I live

we use NO chemicals on the backyard where they are thriving. We do this primarily because of the pets we have and the fact that my old dog died of cancer and was frequently taken on walks on grass that was sprayed with this feed and weed crap.

I guess the bees don't like it any more than any other living thing. These Monsanto made chemicals are killers and cause cancer. They know this but it seems that greed is the winner for now.

:dem: :kick:

[bluesmail]

27. K&R for the HoneyBees. Hope they don't vanish before we do.

[lovuian]

30. I've been watching the whole saga of propoganda and how

the governments are trying to hide the absolute horrible disaster

and its getting to the point that the underlings scientists farmers and others are realizing that they have to DO something other
than protect GMO and pesticides...

I have been video documenting this for years

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=DmFYm59udzo

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=a2rntpySfv4

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=WO7ewbO5EzM

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm5YCRTcWac
Its everywhere

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=fLZVJRaoQAk

The Bees are dying all over the world
Taiwan France Germany UK and US even Hawaii

[skyounkin]

31. Short answer, YES

Long answer- Yes, of COURSE they are lying, when are they NOT lying?

[Hekate]

32. Bush appointees are like embezzlers about to get out of Dodge just ahead of the law...

... in this case, the law being a bunch of neutered Congresscritters and a gutted civil service and DOJ.

There is a similar salmon collapse in the Pacific. The feds and the smaller fisherfolk and enviros knew it was coming. They could see it coming. But the feds -- that is, Bush appointees -- were more interested in protecting the short-term income stream of the megacorporation fishing industry than they were in protecting the long-term health of salmon runs, humans, and the sea itself.

Honest to God, I don't think that Bushco gives a rat's ass if the rest of the world starves to death as long as they have their money. They can hire peons to hand-pollinate personal Bushco gardens. The rest of us can go to hell.

Hekate

[lonestarnot]

33. Not when the masses get real hungry. I want to watch bushitlers eat all that money.

[ladjf]

36. The human race "death machine" blunders on.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

39. I'll bet the studies were never done...

and it's yet another example of the half-assed agency performance that has become a trademark of this bullshit administration.

[susanna]

42. This issue has concerned me greatly for some time.

I have some ancedotal information that may or may not be useful, but here goes. I would really like feedback.

I have an urban kitchen garden - I would strive for organic, but in my city situation am only able to say that I am "pesticide free" vis a vis my growth medium (the city sprays liberally for mosquitos, airborne). After ten years of growing in this way, in the past couple of years I have noticed a seriously active honeybee hive forming on my land. I don't want people to get stung (my neighbor's children are allergic), and so want to move at least some of them somewhere more useful, so I am researching through the local extension service. Specifically I want to know if they can come get a portion (or all, if it works that way) of my "wild/urban" bees for use in strengthening managed hives. Evidently extension services have "captured" hives that are wild in nature for assistance in the current problem. If anyone knows about their efforts - especially if I'm deluded into thinking they will use them for good purposes, please let me know.

Secondly, Detroit (my immediate environs) actually hosts an apiary on top of a food shelter warehouse. It's situated in perfect alignment with a community/soup kitchen garden that runs at least two blocks. The bees live on a rooftop and pollinate the crops (pesticide free). The crops are used at a soup kitchen, and the soup kitchen sells honey made from the bees. It seems to be working, and I'm thrilled they are trying.

Today I went and visited the horticulture gardens at Michigan State. One thing that was not in absence was the number (and variety) of bees. They were EVERYWHERE. So I think bee colonies, given the right environs, can thrive. I asked the person in residence at the gardens if their bees are specificually managed, and she wasn't sure. But there were TONS, of all kinds, so I personally think they are just glad to have the raw material they need.

So I'm wondering if normal Joe and Jane Homeowner can't help by getting these "wildish" bees into the fold. Anyone have any ideas? I'm NOT going to kill my honeybees. No way, no how...but I would like to see them used for some good; there are just getting to be too many for my small piece of land. Anyone?

If I need to move this to a different forum, please advise.

on edit: clarifying an idea

[Hannah Bell]

43. i don't know, but i'll kick for someone else who might.

[susanna]

56. I appreciate it, Hannah Bell. n/t

[GardeningGal]

50. No answer for you, but a suggestion.

Someone in the Gardening forum may have a better understanding and be able to answer. Here's the forum in case you've never been there.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=246

[susanna]

57. I do have it on my bookmarks list.

I'll re-post there for more eyes. Thanks for the suggestion, GardeningGal.

[hatrack]

59. It's quite common to capture wild colonies, but typically when they're swarming

If it's a colony in place, that's a different story, since it's far easier to capture a swarm than to wrangle an established colony from, say, inside the wall of a building or a hollow tree out in the woods.

Are you certain that there are wild bees actually nesting on your property? If so, there are likely area beekeepers or apiary associations you can call for advice.

There are also pest control companies, but they tend to be a bit less focused on preserving colonies when people call them in to get problem bees taken care of - i.e. "Let's just spray the hell out of it!!" - bad idea if you're looking for pollinators.

[susanna]

61. Yeah, unfortunately it's under my brick porch.

So that sounds like it may not work as well. I did have a friend who keeps bees identify them as wild honeybees, so that's what I am basing it on. I know I have never had a better garden than this year, so I'm thinking they are enjoying the nectar buffet. :-)

They are not aggressive, but I'm just beginning to see more of them and wonder if there is something I can do. I appreciate your insight and will look into the apiary associations/beekeeper angle too. Thanks, hatrack!

[hatrack]

66. If they're safely under the porch, which I trust isn't collapsing any time soon . . . .

Sounds like an OK deal to me. You get plenty of pollination and the bees get to do what bees do.

They're not aggressive, which would be the case if they were an Africanized strain, so enjoy!

[susanna]

70. Hi hatrack!

No, the porch is fine. They're entering and exiting in a tiny hole in the mortar that I didn't even know was there!

Thanks for all your info. I do appreciate it. I think I will just let them be (no pun intended). :-)

[mistertrickster]

69. Probably the best thing to do would be to get an experienced bee keeper

who wants the hive.

I kept hives for many years. You'd have to get them at night when they are all together and have a fresh box hive ready for them. Right now, they're living in wax combs shaped like big blobs maybe 10 inches across.

First, smoke them good, take a hot knife and cut the comb off and let it fall into the new box hive. The queen will be in the mix somewhere.

After a couple of weeks, the queen will be laying brood in the new hive and the beekeeper could dispose of the old comb.

It wouldn't be easy. They'd take some babying to get them established at the end of the season like it is now.

[susanna]

71. Thanks, mistertrickster.

I will likely leave them since it's the end of the season. I didn't notice them earlier or I could have acted sooner. If they're around next year I will do as you advise and find a beekeeper to take a look. I appreciate your taking the time to respond.

[DUlover2909]

44. I don't eat those foods so I don't care. Kidding - K&R

:P

[HCE SuiGeneris]

46. Unbelievably criminal (Bush/EPA) in their actions if this true.

All the safeguards of government programs designed to protect the citizens are being shackled. I hate these murderous fuckers! :mad:

[The Stranger]

52. Can someone wake up the Pelosi Traitor and add YET ANOTHER reason for impeachment?

[Eurobabe]

48. EPA and FDA are all corrupt organizations

someone needs to go in there and clean house, kick some ass and take no prisoners. :mad:

[wordpix]

54. ALL the agencies headed by BushCo are corrupt after 8 yrs. of this BS

[Eurobabe]

72. word

:thumbsup:

[The Stranger]

51. This Administration has actually convinced me there is such a thing as evil.

That is quite a feat. I guess I owe it congratulations.

[robcon]

58. This is just hysteria.

The species that is in trouble, the Western Honey Bee, accounts for less than 10% of pollinating bees.

Reminds me of all the scares about SARS, West Nile, Mad Cow, Avian Flu, etc.... there are a number of people who love to exaggerate, and want to proclaim the sky is falling.

[northernlights]

60. that may be true, but

domesticated honeybees are 100% of the bees used by agribusiness, that ships them around the country like a bunch of starved, overworked migrant peasants to work their factory orchards and fields.

Your backyard garden doesn't depend on honeybees. Your low-cost supermarket groceries do.

Have a heart, for cryin' out loud. When the supermarket shelves are empty, where will the rethuglican's chefs go?

[NJCher]

64. touche' northernlights

Gotta' love a fast comeback.

Thanks to all for the links on this thread. I am going to read every one of them.

I'm happy to report that I, in northern NJ, have tons of bees! My neighbor, who is also organic, and I have property that's about a combined 1.5 to 2 acres and it's full of flowers that bees love. In addition, I have vegetables and herbs that I grow. I notice they really love the mint.

Sometimes I don't even cut a plant down when I should because I see they like it. An example is my catmint, which I didn't want to spread all over. But I will probably have a ton of it next year because I couldn't cut it down when I saw all the bees on it.

In particular, though, I've lately noticed them on the huge hydrangeas (PeeGee) on my terrace. Bumblebees and honeybees both. Sometimes there are so many of them it appears they are swarming.

It makes both my neighbor and I happy that we can provide a pesticide-free environment for them. At her place, they love the cleome, of which she has hundreds of plants.

My neighbor has a six-year old and has expressed some concern about stings but there has never been a problem in the entire time they've lived here. Wasps are a bigger concern with stings.

I hope to post a pic later of the terrace flowers that the bees so love.

One other thing: for neighbors concerned about ChemLawn, I will tell you a little trick. A decade ago, when I first moved here, the ChemLawn truck was always around spraying everyone's yards. I did some basic Internet research and put together some studies showing the effects of their pesticides. Then I went around and delivered a copy to each person's mailbox.

Within a year there were no ChemLawn trucks at all and there haven't been any since! :)



Cher

[susanna]

82. My bees LOVE the catmint.

I'm with you; it's great to see them pollinating my kitchen garden. I love having them around. :-)

[HCE SuiGeneris]

80. You remind me of

a protector of the status quo.

It never fails... there you are on the right side.

[mistertrickster]

63. It's got to be new pesticides. That's the only thing that's changed in the timeframe of CCD.

Turns out that pesticide studies only looked a mortality on bees. It didn't look at how it disorients them so they can't find their way back to the hive and they all die . . .

[valerief]

65. The EPA is just another Blackwater agency. nt

[truth2power]

67. Hmm..it's called the ENVIRONMENTAL Protection Agency...

noy the Bushco Protection Agency.

[bread_and_roses]

68. We have to SUE to get info from an agency that is supposed to work for us...

...again. and again. Even after almost eight years, I keep thinking, "how did this happen? Why do we put up with this? Where is the opposition Party? Still keeping their powder dry?" This is how the Junta wins - they fight every battle, so that we're spread over a thousand and one fronts, begging for volunteers, for letters, for phone calls, for money.....and it's never enough.

[The Stranger]

74. Best post here in months.