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EU Votes To Ban Bee-Harming Pesticides (theguardian.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the environmental-impacts dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: The European Union will ban the world's most widely used insecticides from all fields due to the serious danger they pose to bees. The ban on neonicotinoids, approved by member nations on Friday, is expected to come into force by the end of 2018 and will mean they can only be used in closed greenhouses.

Bees and other insects are vital for global food production as they pollinate three-quarters of all crops. The plummeting numbers of pollinators in recent years has been blamed, in part, on the widespread use of pesticides. The EU banned the use of neonicotinoids on flowering crops that attract bees, such as oil seed rape, in 2013. fBut in February, a major report from the European Union's scientific risk assessors (Efsa) concluded that the high risk to both honeybees and wild bees resulted from any outdoor use, because the pesticides contaminate soil and water. This leads to the pesticides appearing in wildflowers or succeeding crops. A recent study of honey samples revealed global contamination by neonicotinoids. The ban on the three main neonicotinoids has widespread public support, with almost 5 million people signing a petition from campaign group Avaaz.

130 comments

  1. Fipronil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They can pry it from my cold dead fingers. Nothing gets rid of roaches like it

    1. Re:Fipronil by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 4, Insightful

      They can pry it from my cold dead fingers. Nothing gets rid of roaches like it

      You know, that could be prophetic. Some of these things affect humans as well.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    2. Re:Fipronil by www.goatse.ru · · Score: 0, Troll

      You know what else effects Europe that hasn't happened here in a few generations: famine.

      Lenin was said to have killed millions through policy change that created famine.

      What will farmers do without pesticides? What will farmers do when they have to flee to the X number of approved and less effective pesticides? Yields are guaranteed to go down, pesticide prices will go through the roof, and famine will ensue. It is a sad state of affairs in Europe that there is no warning given for this. A transition period of a few years is needed.

      There will be far too many unforeseen consequences from the politicans' swift moves. Billions of varroa mites will be high-fiving each other over the ultimate troll.

    3. Re: Fipronil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So do you not believe that this is the cause of colony collapse or do you not think that a huge decline in pollinators is a problem?

    4. Re: Fipronil by www.goatse.ru · · Score: 1, Interesting

      What is worse: not having an ample supply of pollinators, or not having pesticides?

      The bees can hold out for another few years while the supply chain catches up. I cannot say the same about enough crops to feed a full populace without pesticides.

      There is a good reason that the "cradle of civilization" was in an arid semi-desert region: blight and pests are of little problem only in those climates, and in those areas nearly all the modern crops came to be. What can be grown in Iraq without pesticides cannot be grown in most of France without pesticides.

    5. Re: Fipronil by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 5, Insightful

      So do you not believe that this is the cause of colony collapse or do you not think that a huge decline in pollinators is a problem?

      It seems like we'll soon be getting a reasonably definitive answer on that first question. If colonies rebound after the ban, then that's a pretty good indicator of causality. Likewise, if no rebound occurs over a period of time, such that persistent contamination is ruled out, then that also is an indicator that there may be something else at play.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    6. Re: Fipronil by emaname · · Score: 1

      So do you not believe that this is the cause of colony collapse or do you not think that a huge decline in pollinators is a problem?

      It seems like we'll soon be getting a reasonably definitive answer on that first question. If colonies rebound after the ban, then that's a pretty good indicator of causality. Likewise, if no rebound occurs over a period of time, such that persistent contamination is ruled out, then that also is an indicator that there may be something else at play.

      Exactly! Where are my mod points when I need them? Thank you for a well-reasoned, insightful response. You made the most rational point without belittling or insulting anyone. I almost never see this anymore. You made my day.

      --
      An effective "democracy" creates the illusion the people have a say in their government.
    7. Re: Fipronil by PopeRatzo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      There is a good reason that the "cradle of civilization" was in an arid semi-desert region: blight and pests are of little problem only in those climates, and in those areas nearly all the modern crops came to be. What can be grown in Iraq without pesticides cannot be grown in most of France without pesticides.

      That's horseshit. California feeds most of the country to one extent or another, and we've got the most stringent pesticide reduction program in the US.

      We can have crops without pesticides. We can't have crops without bees.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    8. Re: Fipronil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shut up, you fake name "ne'er-do-well" asshole. Apk will repeatedly dust your no-mind bullshit blatherings, too.

    9. Re: Fipronil by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      Apk repeatedly dusted your no-mind 'ne'er-do-well' sorry ass. You're a pathetic 'soyboy' who has often destroyed himself arguing with apk.

      You missed the news. APK and me are buds now.

      https://slashdot.org/comments....

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    10. Re:Fipronil by johannesg · · Score: 2, Interesting

      They can pry it from my cold dead fingers. Nothing gets rid of roaches like it

      And here, in a nutshell, is why this law won't work: the pesticides will still be widely available because it is still allowed in greenhouses, and farmers simply won't care about it.

      The only way to stop this is by banning those pesticides outright.

    11. Re:Fipronil by sjames · · Score: 1

      You DO know there are other pesticides that aren't banned, don't you?

      As for swift moves, it'd been a decade or so. Just how slowly do you want them to move?

    12. Re: Fipronil by CaffeinatedBacon · · Score: 2

      What's worse? losing a quarter of this years crop to pests. Or not growing any more crops next year(and every year) because you cant pollinate them any more.

    13. Re: Fipronil by Mashiki · · Score: 4, Interesting

      So do you not believe that this is the cause of colony collapse or do you not think that a huge decline in pollinators is a problem?

      My cousin is a beekeeper here in Ontario, and she doesn't believe it's the case. Her hives were hit a few years ago with repeated collapses, and it nearly wiped her out. Her idea is and it seems to have worked in her case is that the domesticated bee is well far too domesticated. It's recessive breeding on recessive breeding because queen breeders selectively pick particular queens that show the same traits over and over again with no new injections DNA into the hives, making the hives weaker to parasites and environmental factors. Anyone who's worked on a farm already knows the dangers of recessive breeding traits in livestock, we try to avoid that or branch particular breeds and try to keep the genetic diversity up. It really doesn't happen in beekeeping, they breed the same 'type' of queen repeatedly and in large numbers, and it's becoming more common as colonies collapse to try and keep the number of active drones working.

      So in her case, introducing new queens into collapsed hives from other regions, instead of the current "regional selection" that currently goes on, her hives rebounded in less then a year. Maybe in her case it was off-luck, but she hasn't had any problems since and now breeds her own queens.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    14. Re:Fipronil by Archfeld · · Score: 2

      Speaking as a citizen of Arizona, scorpions clear out roaches better than any chemical solution, but there are a few side effects. Of course YMMV.

      https://www.reference.com/pets...

      --
      errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
    15. Re: Fipronil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      2018 is the end of the transition period, not the beginning
      When people started farming it was not in a semi arid region
      You need to create your narrative based on facts and not fabricate facts to fit your narrative

    16. Re: Fipronil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Oh but we have, he's sitting in the White House.

    17. Re: Fipronil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Boring APK fan is boring.

    18. Re: Fipronil by q_e_t · · Score: 1

      It wasn't as arid 10,000 years ago, and the soil was more productive.

    19. Re:Fipronil by k2r · · Score: 1

      Do you have any sources for your theory or is it just inhaling chemtrails and the lizard people talking to you in the pizzeria's basement?

    20. Re: Fipronil by Sique · · Score: 4, Interesting
      The null hypothesis is that insecticides kill insects, and bees are insects. Thus insecticides kill bees. That was easy.

      A count of insects last year found that the number of insects living for instance in Germany has dropped to a quarter since the 1980ies. No. Not dropped by a quarter (25% less). Dropped to a quarter (25% remaining). And that's in protected areas, where the use of insecticides is limited.

      A ban of three insecticides (there are many more) will not cause the insect population to immediately rebound to the numbers of the 1980ies. So there is no imminent famine due to insects eating our crops. There might be an imminent famine due to the lack of pollinators, which also are reduced to a quarter.

      --
      .sig: Sique *sigh*
    21. Re:Fipronil by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 4, Insightful

      What will farmers do without pesticides?

      And what will farmers do without bees?

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    22. Re: Fipronil by pjt33 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Genetic diversity does seem to be a factor, but the question is loaded by talking about "the cause". Given the complexity of the systems it's reasonable to expect there to be multiple relevant factors, and there is also evidence that neonicotinoids are a factor. Regulating pesticides falls within existing legislative frameworks, but I'm not sure about regulating breeding practices.

    23. Re:Fipronil by pjt33 · · Score: 4, Informative

      Would that be the same Bayer that sells neonicotinoids and argues against banning them?

    24. Re: Fipronil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Horseshit is your claim that "California feeds most of the country".
      California produces large amounts of LUXURY agricultural products - grapes (for wine), nuts, berries, and other non-staple goods. Even the quickest glance at the data makes that clear.

      California produces no significant quantity of corn, wheat, or soy. They produce no significant quantity of beef, pork, or poultry.
      California DOES produce 80% of the nuts grown in the US, and more than half of all fruits. This is why the state was known as the Land of Fruits and Nuts, even before the Democrats took over.

    25. Re:Fipronil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can try explicit studies like this one, that show that the pesticide isn't harmful to bees.

      Or you can read some rollup articles about all the problems with Lu's study, like this one or this one.

    26. Re:Fipronil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And here, in a nutshell, is why this law won't work: the pesticides will still be widely available because it is still allowed in greenhouses, and farmers simply won't care about it.

      You act as if society relies entirely on people following the law voluntarily.
      Law enforcement actually have other obligations than just harassing people with different skin color.
      If using illegal pesticides is fined enough to not be profitable or ends you up in jail then farmers will care about it.

      So, a couple of smaller farmers might be able to use it without getting caught, just like not all speeders or murderers getting caught.
      That will still reduce the amount of those pesticides used and make things better.

      If we removed all laws that weren't 100% enforced then we wouldn't have any laws left.

    27. Re: Fipronil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And then we will be stuck swatting those bees one at a time. Giving a new meaning to "bug bounty."

    28. Re:Fipronil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Greenhouses aren't as many as open fields and papers are already required to buy the more dangerous chemicals, an additional section for greenhouse exception isn't going to bother anyone.

    29. Re: Fipronil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So in her case, introducing new queens into collapsed hives from other regions, instead of the current "regional selection" that currently goes on, her hives rebounded in less then a year. Maybe in her case it was off-luck, but she hasn't had any problems since and now breeds her own queens.

      It's a reasonable hypothesis that should probably be tested, but that will take time. I think the EU wants a quick win that will get results right away. It's easy enough to un-ban the chemicals if the new regulation doesn't help.

    30. Re: Fipronil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Since pork, beef and poultry don't require anything than grass and shit feeds, then the world should be OK.

    31. Re: Fipronil by Bearhouse · · Score: 1

      Not sure about "most of the country" there Pope, and the water management sure ain't the best..

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    32. Re:Fipronil by Pinky's+Brain · · Score: 2

      Until it stops working and you add resistance genes to the insect genepool, fucking over the original species the substance was derived from. Then you repeat that trick for every other natural insecticidal substance, until finally you end up with pests with resistance to fuck near everything in their "junk" DNA ready to be reactivated at a moment notice.

      Congratulations, you tilted evolution in the favor of pests by accelerating it by multiple orders of magnitude. What's the next step in your master plan?

    33. Re: Fipronil by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      Yeah, the problem is that actual studies on the effects of neonicotinoids on bees show that there are no effects.
      Seriously. Read it for yourself.

      All I had to read was the abstract to know that you're a liar. You claim there are no effects, while the study claims "low potential for negative effects". Those are not the same thing. You're misrepresenting the study so badly, even the abstract proves you're a liar. Stop lying, liar.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    34. Re: Fipronil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well the first ban didn't affect CCD so ban on. The science really isn't settled here. They're is an affect on bees, but no strong link to CCD, and the replacement pesticides are much worse for the environment.

    35. Re: Fipronil by Mashiki · · Score: 2

      One problem is we really don't see rollbacks in legislation in cases like this. Usually this leads to a new race to find a new insecticide or herbicide, followed by complete clusterfucks for decades.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    36. Re: Fipronil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >the "cradle of civilization" was in an arid semi-desert region

      You, madam, are an idiot.

      It was wet and green during the time of gilgamesh. You are talking out your ass.

    37. Re: Fipronil by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      California feeds most of the country to one extent or another, and we've got the most stringent pesticide reduction program in the US.

      We can have crops without pesticides. We can't have crops without bees.

      There are some methods that use flames to carbonize plants. These have to be used prior to planting.

      But after planting, there are a couple of really cool options. One is using little waterjets to cut off the weed plants. It doesn't use a lot of water, but the plants obviously like water.

      My favorite is a method that uses corn gluten to perform a sandblast action. It is also a good natural fertilizer. There are also claims that it is a good pre-emergent herbicide, but results have been varied.

      The proof of concept has been performed - might even be in production by now.

      Beats hell out of pesticides and herbicides that kill beneficial insects and breed superweeds.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    38. Re: Fipronil by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Apk repeatedly dusted your no-mind 'ne'er-do-well' sorry ass. You're a pathetic 'soyboy' who has often destroyed himself arguing with apk.

      You missed the news. APK and me are buds now.

      https://slashdot.org/comments....

      Isn't that little AC just so cute? hopefully its just a defective chatbot.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    39. Re: Fipronil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can have crops without pesticides but you can't feed the world like that. CA crops use plenty of pesticides so I'd suggest you double-check your claims.

      It's funny how non-farmers like to chime in and tell farmers how they need to do their jobs.

    40. Re: Fipronil by MightyYar · · Score: 2

      There is a good reason that the "cradle of civilization" was in an arid semi-desert region: blight and pests are of little problem only in those climates

      That's a gross oversimplification... It won out because it happened to be where those future crops grow natively, where nearly every domesticable animal already occupied as a habitat, and where metal resources were close to or at the surface. Look at the lengths the Amerindians had to go through to domesticate corn vs. essentially stumbling upon pre-mutated wheat. Look at sheep, goats, donkeys, cattle, pigs, cats, dogs, honey bees, camels, and various domestic birds... all either from or available to people in the fertile crescent. Compare to what the Amerindians had across two continents: Llamas/alpacas, guinea pigs, a dog species, and some domesticated birds. Even China, which did pretty well for themselves, had a much shorter list. People in Australia had virtually nothing available to domesticate - flora or fauna... perhaps the emu, though it to this day is only semi-domesticated. Someone also apparently brought dingoes to the continent from presumably domesticated wolves.

      Anyway, it's not just the climate that made the Fertile Crescent the "cradle of civilization".

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    41. Re: Fipronil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Doesn't matter what stupid bullshit you say here. Obviously you are not coming back to comment an apology in 10 years when no famine at all has affected Europe.

    42. Re: Fipronil by LQ · · Score: 1

      Guns, Germs, and Steel should be a set book in every high school.

    43. Re: Fipronil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Low potential for negative effects".
      Is English your native language? Do you understand what those words mean? I'd suspect you are foreign, but you fit the stereotype of a US student so perfectly I can't help but suspect you are just stupid.

      "Low potential": Although not 100% certain (because this is science, not math), the researchers analysis said that the following event was not very likely.
      "for": indicating which event has "low potential".
      "negative effects": Bad things. You know, like bees dying off, or Colony Collapse Disorder - the point of the topic?

      Are there positive effects? Well, the study in question didn't look for any, and shockingly didn't see any.

      In other words, to people that speak English: The research shows that there were no effects.

    44. Re: Fipronil by mikael · · Score: 1

      Read the newspapers from the 1990's. Farmworkers noticed that bees became slow and dozy and started to fly into things wherever those bright yellow fields were located.

      --
      Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
    45. Re: Fipronil by mikael · · Score: 1

      If parasites like the vermoa mite are the problem, then it should be possible to train the bees to remove them by playing instructional videos. It was possible to teach bees to play football simply by playing a video of what to do plus the reward of a surgary treat.

      https://www.voanews.com/a/bumb...

      --
      Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
    46. Re: Fipronil by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Not sure about "most of the country" there Pope, and the water management sure ain't the best..

      Over half of what we eat in this country is produced in California. Most of that midwest farmland is producing export crops or fuel feedstock.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    47. Re: Fipronil by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      The null hypothesis is that insecticides kill insects, and bees are insects. Thus insecticides kill bees. That was easy.

      Your hypothesis is wrong. There are broad spectrum insecticides like Sevin. Those will nuke a lot of insects, and for that reason, a lot of care must be taken in their use. In recent years, we've been taking to using narrow spectrum pesticides as often as possible. Like for caterpillers like the Gypsy Moth, Tebufenozide will take them out without harming many other insects. There is no one size fits all.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    48. Re: Fipronil by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Yeah, the problem is that actual studies on the effects of neonicotinoids on bees show that there are no effects.

      Could you go back to looking for O'blama's birth certificate please?

      This act bans a safe, cheap, and popular insecticide for BS reasons while ignoring the actual causes of Colony Collapse Disorder.

      The real cause is either Hillary's emails or chemtrails.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    49. Re: Fipronil by manu0601 · · Score: 1

      What can be grown in Iraq without pesticides cannot be grown in most of France without pesticides.

      France has always been a major producer in Europe, even before pesticides existed. Removing them would require a cultural revolution from farmers, but it is technically feasible

    50. Re:Fipronil by volmtech · · Score: 1

      If by farmers you mean the guys who grow most food crops is business as usual. Corn, soybeans, potatoes, wheat, sweet potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, and most vegetables self pollinate. Most fruits and nuts do need pollinators so it is best to keep bee populations healthy.

    51. Re: Fipronil by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      Haha, did I channel my inner Jared Diamond in that comment?

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    52. Re: Fipronil by Sique · · Score: 1

      The insecticides we are talking about, and which are forbidden now belong to the class of Neonicotinoids, which couple to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. This receptor is basicly the same in all insects. The only reason why Neonicotinoids might not affect bees as much as other insects is that bees only fly to flowering plants and feed on the flowers and thus might get less of the Neonicotinoids if they were sprayed before the flowering.

      --
      .sig: Sique *sigh*
  2. Hope you don't like eating food then. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Because without bees, you won't have any to eat. But hey, at least you don't have roaches!

    1. Re:Hope you don't like eating food then. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Corn, the major suppler of calories (the nutrient that counts) to the world, is self pollinating.

    2. Re:Hope you don't like eating food then. by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1, Informative

      Because without bees, you won't have any to eat.

      Plenty of crops, including rice, wheat, maize (corn), do not need insects to pollinate.

      But hey, at least you don't have roaches!

      The ban is on outdoor use (agriculture, garden, landscaping). You can still spay roaches in your house.

    3. Re:Hope you don't like eating food then. by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      Corn, the major suppler of calories (the nutrient that counts) to the world, is self pollinating.

      If you take out the amount of corn that's used to produce ethanol, it falls to about 4th on the top food crops.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    4. Re: Hope you don't like eating food then. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apk dusted your sorry ass, too. Every time you try to argue with him, you destroy yourself, and he handles you perfectly.

    5. Re:Hope you don't like eating food then. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can still spay roaches in your house.

      I can't imagine how small a scalpel you need for that.

    6. Re:Hope you don't like eating food then. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      http://gardeningplaces.com/articles/global-food-crisis.htm

    7. Re:Hope you don't like eating food then. by CaffeinatedBacon · · Score: 1

      And a very steady hand.

    8. Re:Hope you don't like eating food then. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We'll just have to do like the chinese and pollinate everything by hand.

    9. Re:Hope you don't like eating food then. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      APK finds this link...amusing

    10. Re:Hope you don't like eating food then. by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      The ban is on outdoor use (agriculture, garden, landscaping). You can still spay roaches in your house.

      Always spay roaches in the house, if you do it in the yard They will see you.

    11. Re:Hope you don't like eating food then. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wood has calories, mineral oil has calories, literally everything that you can burn has calories because calories is just another word for the physical quantity of energy. What really counts is how and how well metabolize those calories.

      Corn provides its calories by having a lot of carbohydrates and some protein. The former being a major energy source for our body. Hands down, it is a good energy source. But that same energy mostly coming from carbohydrates it's also a major contributor to diabetes. At least if you mostly eat processed corn, like non whole 'grain' (well it's not really a grain, isn't it?) cornmeal, corn starch, and especially HFCS.

    12. Re:Hope you don't like eating food then. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Plenty of crops, including rice, wheat, maize (corn), do not need insects to pollinate.

      If you want to only eat grains for the rest of your life, that's cool with me. More fruit and vegetables for the rest of us... if you don't kill all the bees

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    13. Re:Hope you don't like eating food then. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because without bees, you won't have any to eat.

      Plenty of crops, including rice, wheat, maize (corn), do not need insects to pollinate.

      First they came for the bees, but I did not speak out
            Because I do not eat fruits and nuts
      Then they they came for the rice (with arsenic), but I did not speak out
            Because I do not eat rice
      Then they came for the non-gmo crops (with dicamba), but I did not speak out
            Because I do not eat non-gmo crops (or trees) ...

      (Yes, parent is factually correct in correcting grandparent. However, sometimes we technical people are a bit too literal... Perhaps missing the forest for the trees?)

    14. Re:Hope you don't like eating food then. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      APK is a fucking useless douchenozzle.

  3. The bees can hold out for another few years? by fredrated · · Score: 1

    And you know this how?

    1. Re:The bees can hold out for another few years? by www.goatse.ru · · Score: 1

      I served the state for a number of years as entomologist.

    2. Re:The bees can hold out for another few years? by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1, Informative

      I served the state for a number of years as entomologist.

      An entomologist who only managed to figure out how to create a Slashdot account last Thursday?

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    3. Re: The bees can hold out for another few years? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's obvious you're not apk: your comment isn't anywhere mental enough to come from that "ne'er-do-well".

    4. Re:The bees can hold out for another few years? by BeauXD · · Score: 0

      I served the state for a number of years as entomologist.

      An entomologist who only managed to figure out how to create a Slashdot account last Thursday?

      Yeah man, he was on the SomethingAwful forums 15 years ago and Digg at least a decade ago. He might do reddit in a few years.

      What kind of idiotic question is that? XD

    5. Re:The bees can hold out for another few years? by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      I served the state for a number of years as entomologist.

      An entomologist who only managed to figure out how to create a Slashdot account last Thursday?

      He doesn't know about locusts either.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    6. Re:The bees can hold out for another few years? by mikael · · Score: 1

      I always thought they could block the movement of locusts using reflective helium ballloons. The one thing a locust doesn't want to do is to fly into water. For this reason, their left and right compound eyes are polarized vertically on one side and horizontally on the other. When sunlight is reflected by water, it becomes polarized in the plane of reflection. The difference in light intensity in both compound eyes is then used to determine which areas should be avoided.
      Put up some reflective balloons that also reflect sunlight and they would avoid those too.

      --
      Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
    7. Re:The bees can hold out for another few years? by arglebargle_xiv · · Score: 0

      I served the state for a number of years as entomologist.

      An entomologist who only managed to figure out how to create a Slashdot account last Thursday?

      He's a Trump-appointed entomologist. His qualifications consist of commenting about roach extermination for Fox and Friends.

  4. ugh. Here we go again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    There only a handful (less than 10) species of Honeybee. None of them are native to North America. There are thousands of species of solitary bees and wasps that are native to North America. Blue Masson and Leaf Cutter are of the most common. They are far superior pollinators that don't (or rarely) sting. They don't have a Queen and literally are 500x per bee better pollinators vs honey bees.

    Is CCD an issue? Yep. Should be working hard to fix it? Yep. Should we take reasonable actions once we have solid evidence of cause? Sure.

    Will we starve without honey bees? Not very likely. Honey might get real expensive. There are far better choices that are being used already. Honey bees give you Honey as a byproduct other bees don't. Which is why they are popular.

    1. Re: ugh. Here we go again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You realize that the other polinators are also of the same family and most are insects, with similar biology to honey bees.

    2. Re:ugh. Here we go again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You should round up a dozen or so and start travelling around to farms then, and sell your services. Put those greedy bee guys out of business.
      You will make a killing, and as a bonus no one will have to read about bee stories in the news.

    3. Re:ugh. Here we go again by FormOfActionBanana · · Score: 1

      CCD is not an issue in the EU.

      --
      Take off every 'sig' !!
    4. Re:ugh. Here we go again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      Ironically wild bees appear to be the most threatened of all: https://www.wired.com/2015/04/...

    5. Re:ugh. Here we go again by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      CCD is not an issue in the EU.

      O RLY?

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    6. Re: ugh. Here we go again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You do realize that those other bees aren't in colonies. And are not susceptible to CCD. Right?

    7. Re:ugh. Here we go again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nah. I'll just buy from Crown Bees or on ebay for my own orchard and garden. People will still complain you know because honey.

      I moved from corn country to cow country. So pollinating those are a kettle of a different fish.

    8. Re:ugh. Here we go again by Jerry+Atrick · · Score: 1

      Honey bees are farmed animals that turn a profit. That's why they're popular. Vicious, aggressive and dangerous to humans little bastards compared to other pollinators.

  5. Widespread public support? Huh? by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    The EU has 511 million people. Never did I know that 0.9% was "widespread". But gosh, journalists are in favor of it so the use value judgments in their coverage. They're not fact reporters, they're political activists.

    --
    Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    1. Re: Widespread public support? Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What are you trying to say, my Russian chum? Maybe use some different words?

  6. Union Carbide Overrules Euro Union by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How much you wanna bet!

  7. Re: Apk has repeatedly dusted Slashdot "ne'er-do-w by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Omg. If zaparkie belies that, he is a retard. And btw, zaparkieâ(TM)s last name means âoethe one who blowsâ in Slavic

  8. Mod PopeRatzo Comment Down! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    PopeRatzo doesn't have a clue about agriculture. GP was referring to the "Mediterranean climate" that both the fertile crescent and California have. Specifically, California has about THE only Mediterranean climate in the USA, and it's HUGE.
     
    PopeRatzo is either ignorant or trolling.

    1. Re:Mod PopeRatzo Comment Down! by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      PopeRatzo is either ignorant or trolling.

      Does it have to be one or the other?

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    2. Re:Mod PopeRatzo Comment Down! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But the GP explicitly referenced Iraq, which is a desert and hot semi-arid climate.

    3. Re:Mod PopeRatzo Comment Down! by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      I think trolling by definition excludes ignorance?

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    4. Re:Mod PopeRatzo Comment Down! by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 2

      But Iraq wasn't a desert, hot semi-arid place eight thousand years ago.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    5. Re:Mod PopeRatzo Comment Down! by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      But Iraq wasn't a desert, hot semi-arid place eight thousand years ago.

      You win the internets! Iraq was converted into a desert through clear-cutting and, ironically, overuse of agriculture. These two practices (commonly combined) have done more environmental damage than anything else man has yet done. Chernobyl hasn't affected wildlife much, for example, but desertification sure does.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    6. Re:Mod PopeRatzo Comment Down! by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      But Iraq wasn't a desert, hot semi-arid place eight thousand years ago.

      You win the internets! Iraq was converted into a desert through clear-cutting and, ironically, overuse of agriculture. These two practices (commonly combined) have done more environmental damage than anything else man has yet done. Chernobyl hasn't affected wildlife much, for example, but desertification sure does.

      And a 20th century version of this happened in the USA.

      Meanwhile, this is all shaping up to be a slashdot legend - fun with anonymous cowards or defective chatbots. Looks like you'll be added to the list at number 19 So tally Ho!

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  9. Re:Apk has repeatedly dusted Slashdot "ne'er-do-we by BeauXD · · Score: 0

    Me! Pick me! Pick me!!! XD

    Also, it's whom, not who. You need to be using the objective case as the pronoun is the object of a verb.

  10. Re: Apk has repeatedly dusted Slashdot "ne'er-do-w by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Which one of you fuckers is next?"

    That's more Pulp Fiction than APK. I think you're an imposter.

  11. The last living bee thanks you by easyTree · · Score: 2

    ...

    --
    Requiem for the American Dream
    1. Re:The last living bee thanks you by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Requiem for the UK dream, more like it.

      Recent studies have criticized earlier studies, and concluded that neonicotinoids were NOT significantly harming honeybees, except when in conjunction with other environmental stressors and varroa mites mites in particular (and no, global warming was not one of them).

      Further, annual censuses have shown an overall growth in bee population worldwide, including in the US and UK.

      They keep trying to solve non-problems, by enacting harmful measures. My concern is not for bees, but the UK and its government. It seems to be led lately by a ship of fools.

    2. Re:The last living bee thanks you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So the alternatives would be to ban those other factors, right? But you don't say what those ARE, making it worthless. Since banning neonics WILL work, because without it, these other factors won't be causing as much CCD, it WILL work.
      Now,hypothetically, if laws were enacted to ban those OTHER factors, which would also have the same effect, YOUR moronic post would be a railing against THOSE laws.

      And if you're going to whine and bitch no matter what, there's no point listening to you. And this message should show you why your posting is a waste of your time, since nobody listening to your ranting means your ranting is pointless.

    3. Re:The last living bee thanks you by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      Recent studies have criticized earlier studies, and concluded that neonicotinoids were NOT significantly harming honeybees, except when in conjunction with other environmental stressors and varroa mites mites in particular (and no, global warming was not one of them).

      O RLY?

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  12. Problem isn't solved by Schugy · · Score: 0

    The good thin is that there are as harmful substitutes for the 3 forbidden (only for outdoor use) pesticides. Nothing changed.

  13. meh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the Monsanto trolls are even more obvious than the Russian ones usually are. :D
    well if everythhing fails we can import your gmi soybeans from Us.
    but if you kull off al your polinators on American continent then well i guess we ha e the anwser to who was right.
    And i really do t think it will be a supprice how it goes. Lobbytrols failed!

  14. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  15. Rape! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "The EU banned the use of neonicotinoids on flowering crops that attract bees, such as oil seed rape, in 2013."

    Europe: Making rape more attractive to bees since 2013.

  16. Re:Black unemployment finally down to lowest level by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    One of them got a job.

    And the other blacks hate him now, calling him Uncle Tom because he's "acting white".

  17. American change begins with consumers by Camarillo+Brillo · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Americans can't count on their government to protect them from pollution fueled by greed, but consumers can boycott places that sell crap like Roundup. Living without pesticides is what organic farming is all about. Feeding the world doesn't require poisoned food supply, it just needs better local farming, and maybe a bit of birth control. Intelligent people realize this, members of the to idiocity reap what they sow

    1. Re:American change begins with consumers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Intelligent people realize this

      Intelligent people are a minority. A tiny minority. And since the preferred type of government in the civilized world is democracy, we're screewed.

    2. Re:American change begins with consumers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Americans can't count on their government to protect them from pollution fueled by greed, but consumers can boycott places that sell crap like Roundup.
      Living without pesticides is what organic farming is all about.

      Roundup (glyphosate) is not a pesticide, but herbicide.
      (I'm not trying to suggest its a good thing to use.)

    3. Re:American change begins with consumers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You do realize I hope that Roundup is a herbicide, not a pesticide, and is irrelevant to the discussion on the effect of pesticides on bees. There may be relevant discussion on the effect of herbicide on bees and honey, but that is not this discussion.

    4. Re:American change begins with consumers by easyTree · · Score: 1

      Intelligent people realize this

      Intelligent people are a minority. A tiny minority. And since the preferred type of government in the civilized world is democracy, we're screewed.

      Fortunately we have fake democracy. If we had real democracy we would be REALLY screwed.

      --
      Requiem for the American Dream
    5. Re:American change begins with consumers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The individual solutions you're suggesting involve individuals spending a lot more money on food. Assuming they're even in markets were organic is available at their local grocery stores. Perhaps people not doing this are not stupid, but merely can't afford to.

    6. Re: American change begins with consumers by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      Living without pesticides is what organic farming is all about

      Nicotine (the substance being banned here) is an organic pesticide. If you believe that organic farming doesn't use pesticides you are incredibly naive.

  18. Re:Apk has repeatedly dusted Slashdot "ne'er-do-we by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

    Here is a partial list of fake name "ne'er-do-well" users who APK has repeatedly dusted and continually handled perfectly: 1) amicusNYCL 2) Zontar The Mindless 3) Ol Olsoc 4) ShanghaiBill 5) Ash-Fox 6) PopeRatzo 7) Brockmire 8) DontBeAMoran 9) AmiMojo 10) evanh 11) Solandri 12) DrYak 13) 110010001000 14) tepples 15) arth1 16) fisted 17) Coren22 18) whipslash 19)

    Which one of you fuckers is next?

    Finally! the recognition I deserve!

    Damn, I wish Slashdot allowed Blinkies.

    --
    The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  19. Re:Apk repeatedly dusted Slashdot users by MissionAccomlished · · Score: 1

    17) APK's whore of a mom

  20. Beepocalypse Not by eric_harris_76 · · Score: 1

    Not a problem now. And wasn't much of a problem at it's worst.

    The beepocalypse has been canceled.

    But please, go ahead and panic on.

    I'll make some popcorn.

    --
    There's no time like the present. Well, the past used to be.