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EPA: No Single Cause For Colony Collapse Disorder

Posted by Soulskill on from the couldn't-bee-easy dept.

alphatel writes "Citing a wide range of symptoms, a federal report (PDF) released yesterday has concluded that no single event, pesticide or virus can be held responsible for CCD in North American bee colonies. Meanwhile, Europe has moved towards banning neocotinids for two years. EPA's Jim Jones stated, 'There are non-trivial costs to society if we get this wrong. There are meaningful benefits from these pesticides to farmers and to consumers, as well as for affordable food.' May R. Berenbaum, head of the department of entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a participant in the study, said, 'There is no quick fix. Patching one hole in a boat that leaks everywhere is not going to keep it from sinking.'"

6 of 129 comments (clear)

  1. One hole at a time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Patching one hole in a boat that leaks everywhere is not going to keep it from sinking

    But it is one less hole to worry about.

    1. Re:One hole at a time by RoknrolZombie · · Score: 5, Insightful

      No shit...it's obvious that not doing anything at all isn't going to fix the problem. Normally I don't support banning things because they "might" be affecting something else, but under these circumstances I'd say it might be worth some experimenting to see what might *help*. FFS, the more we sit and wait to see what's going on, the fewer bees we have to do their job. I realize other animals pollinate as well, but they don't do it nearly as efficiently as bees...and frankly, I think this problem is much easier to solve than the problem of how to get our fucking food to grow in five years.

    2. Re:One hole at a time by Steeltoe · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Support for your line of thinking:

      Salon: Without honeybees, we may cease to be
      The report concludes, “imidacloprid seems to be a substance particularly ’fit for the precautionary principle’.” It cites the chemicals’ ability to harm honeybees and wild bees at minute doses and its persistence in the soil for several years. Additionally, it notes that after Italy temporarily banned neonicotinoids in several crops, reports of high honeybee mortality decreased from 185 to two.

      The line of thinking to keep doing harm without testing wether bans might work, for short term profit, is frankly both suicidal unscientific.
      Doing harm in the name of profit is evil.

      --
      http://www.debunkingskeptics.com/
    3. Re:One hole at a time by Runaway1956 · · Score: 5, Informative

      Consider the facts surrounding this insecticide.

      First - it is DESIGNED to kill insects. That is it's purpose.
      Second - it was approved for use based on flawed research, conducted in Canada only, in an area that had no honey bee populations to be affected. Private research, conducted by Bayer - research that should never have been admitted as "science".
      Third - the colony collapses happen most frequently in areas that use this specific insecticide.
      Fourth - there is data that supports the ban - Steeltoe posted a link above: http://www.salon.com/2013/03/21/without_honeybees_we_may_cease_to_be/

          "Additionally, it notes that after Italy temporarily banned neonicotinoids in several crops, reports of high honeybee mortality decreased from 185 to two."

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
  2. Hello, Nirvana fallacy by SuperBanana · · Score: 5, Informative

    'There is no quick fix. Patching one hole in a boat that leaks everywhere is not going to keep it from sinking.'"

    Hello, nirvana fallacy.

    For those who aren't familiar, the basic explanation of the nirvana fallacy is rejecting a solution because it isn't perfect/ideal. In this case: rejecting a ban on the pesticide because there are other additional causes of colony collapse disorder that wouldn't be affected by such a ban.

    Idiotic, and amazing that a scientist could utter it.

    --
    Please help metamoderate.
  3. A little background info... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    A little background info for aspiring entomologists. Neonicotinoids are an interesting class of insecticides. They are valued because they have relatively low mammalian toxicity but they are very effective against insects. Neonics are systemic insecticides, i.e., they get inside plants and are distributed into all plant tissues. Neonicotinoid residues found in pollen and nectar are consumed by flower-visiting insects such as bees. Concentrations of residues can reach lethal levels in some situations. Neonicotinoids can persist in soil for months or years after a single application. After plants absorb neonicotinoids, they slowly metabolize the compounds. Some of the breakdown products are as toxic or more toxic to honey bees than the original active ingredient. Honey bees exposed to sublethal levels of neonicotinoids can experience problems with flying and navigation, reduced taste sensitivity, and slower learning of new tasks, which all impact foraging ability. Keep in mind that neonicotinoids were on the market for about 10 years before colony collapse disorder was noticed.