Farmers could be hit for millions of pounds if restrictions on neonicotinoid seed treatments are introduced in the UK, a new report warns.
Up to £630m could be lost from the UK economy each year if neonicotinoids are withdrawn, says the study, which was independently commissioned by EU’s Humboldt Forum for Food and Agriculture (HFFA) and financed by Syngenta and Bayer CropScience.
Yield penalties of up to 20% for oilseed rape, sugar beet and cereal crops could ensue, which could make winter wheat an unprofitable crop for many British growers and its production unfeasible in areas of high pest pressure, the study adds.
The plight of bees could have a massive impact on the New Zealand economy, a University of Canterbury ecologist says.
Ecology professor Jason Tylianakis said New Zealand exports 80 per cent of its food production, and crops such as kiwifruit, clover, apples, canola and honey could suffer as the bee population decreases.
“An agricultural economy like ours depends strongly on pollination, and between 60 and 75 per cent of all food crops require animal pollination,” Tylianakis said.
BRUSSELS–A new study by scientists at Europe’s food-safety agency that found risks to honey bees from three widely-used insecticides is “unworthy” of the agency and its scientists, a top executive at Syngenta, the manufacturer of one of the chemicals, said Wednesday.
The risk assessment, published Wednesday by the European Food Safety Authority, said three neonicotinoids–clothianidin and imidacloprid, which are made primarily by Bayer AG (BAYN.XE), and thiamethoxam, which is made by Syngenta AG (SYNN.VX)–pose risks to bees through contaminated dust and pesticide residues on nectar and pollen.
If you’re observant, you may have noticed that there are millions of undocumented, non-native workers among the locals of Accomack and Northampton counties — honeybees, of course.
It’s well known that these lovely creatures produce the honey and beeswax that people have always prized, and that their pollination work is vital for so much of our food supply.
Many people don’t realize that most of the wild colonies of honeybees in North America were wiped out by imported pests during the 1980s. Today, in spite of annual losses of about one-third of all hives, beekeepers are helping honeybees become common once again.
New plans have been unveiled to help beekeepers protect their hives from pests and reduce losses of bees.
Defra has outlined proposals which build on current policies to support beekeepers in identifying and managing pests such as the potentially devastating Varroa mite, which is considered the single greatest problem for beekeepers.
A consultation was published recently seeking views from all beekeepers on how best to provide more support to improve honey bee health.
Simple, one-word answers make money on Jeopardy. However, suggested solitary explanations as to what’s killing honey bees in North America and Europe are little more than buzzwords. There are so many suspected causes to why bees are dying they are umbrellaed under the term Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). CCD encompasses everything from the varroa mite to bad beekeeping.
UC DAVIS (US) — As demand for food crops increase, researchers find that honey bees pollinate more when other bee species are close by.
When blue orchard bees and wild bees—such as bumble bees, carpenter bees, and sweat bees—are foraging in almonds with honey bees, the behavior of honey bees changes, resulting in more effective crop pollination, explains Claire Brittain, lead author of the study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society.
Almond orchard in Capay Valley, Yolo County. (Credit: Claire Brittain)
On 10 January 2013, peers took part in a debate on the decline in honey bees during 2012.
Conservative peer Lord Moynihan tabled the debate on a motion noting the decline in honey bees during 2012 and the measures being taken to combat disease within bee colonies.
BURLINGTON, Vt. -A Vermont conservation group is buzzing about a sharp decline in some populations of bumblebees.
In recent years European honeybees, not bumblebees, have attracted all the attention because of so-called colony collapse disorder.
But the Vermont Center for Ecostudies said a survey they conducted last summer raises concern about the decline in some native bumblebees that used to be common in places like the Champlain Valley.
New plans to help beekeepers protect their hives from pests and reduce losses of bees have been unveiled.
Defra has outlined proposals which build on the success of current policies to support beekeepers in identifying and managing pests such as the potentially devastating Varroa mite which is considered the single greatest problem for beekeepers. A consultation has been published today seeking views from all beekeepers on how best to provide more support to improve honey bee health.
Almond orchard in Capay Valley, Yolo County. (Credit: Claire Brittain)