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USDA study concludes neonics not driving bee deaths—As White House set to announce ‘bee revival’ plan’

Mar 26, 2015

USDA Study Concludes Neonics NOT Driving Bee Deaths

Did you catch this headline this week? The Department of Agriculture announced late last week that honey production, which has been disrupted after CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) devastated the bee population nine years ago, is up 14% and the number of hives is up 4%, increasing the two previous years before that. The total number of beehives today is higher than it was in 1995, when neonics first came on the market.

This article acknowledges that "many past researches often based their experiments on extremely high amounts of pesticides—far more than a bee would normally encounter in its life."

Another topic covered is the real-world impact of banning neonics; the ban of neonics in Europe has actually led to increased bee deaths.

The effects of neonics on bees has definitely been a controversial topic as of late and surely this topic will linger on for some time. These statements from the USDA are the first step in helping our industry move through this challenge. Click here to read the full article.

Study Clears Bayer

In another article by Bloomberg Business, it was announced that researchers at the University of Maryland concluded their three-year study on the effects of imidacloprid on bee colonies and found "imidicloprid, when applied at 'realistic' levels, doesn't harm honey bee colonies." The scientists state that "it contributes, but there is a bigger picture." This study clears Bayer's insecticide as the "sole cause of CCD" and is another small victory. You can read the full article here.