Natural History Wanderings

The  New York Times and NPR reported on new studies that show that the low levels of pesticides are the likely cause for declining bee populations.  The pesticides in question are the neonicotinoids which are often used to cover corn, canola and sunflower seeds before planting. The insecticide is absorbed by the plant and travels through the plants roods, leaves, nectar and pollen. This results in the entire plant becoming poisonous to insects the eat it including the bees who eat the pollen and nectar.

This was already know by the U.S. EPA and European government agencies that approved the use of the insecticides. The governments made these decisions at least in part using studies by Bayer CropScience, the largest producer of the Pesticide, that said the bees would only be exposed to small amounts of the pesticide and would not pose a serious threat to them. New studies are now challenging this premise.

Read more at the New York Times  Bees’ Decline Linked to Pesticides, Studies Find
and NPR Latest Buzz On Bee Decline: Maybe It’s Pesticides