Archives – April, 2017
Editor’s Note: The EU’s neonic ban has not helped Europe’s bees and is causing environmental catastrophe in Europe and beyond as conversion of land to agricultural uses increased to compensate for lost food production.
From: NFU Online | The Voice of British Farming
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NFU Vice President Guy Smith said: “A blanket ban of neonicotinoids on outdoor crops would be devastating for farms across the country 1. The numbers of pests are rising across the country1 and dealing with these pressures is costly 2. Growing crops without these seed treatments could become very difficult.
April 28, 2017
Editor’s Note: No wonder the EU’s neonic ban isn’t helping Europe’s bees. Translation from the French via Google Translate.
From: La Nouvelle République
National Week for the Control of Varroa
From May 1st to May 8th, beekeepers from all over France, both professional and amateur, are required to practice counting varroa, “the number one enemy of bees”. This week should also be an opportunity for beekeepers to exchange on best practices against this scourge.
Read Complete Article (French)
April 27, 2017
From: Northwest Herald
Interest in beekeeping rises in McHenry County
By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN
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The No. 1 challenge local beekeepers face now is a parasite called the varroa mite, which made its first appearance in the U.S. in the late 1980s.
“It now exists in every state,” Krengel said. “There is no way to get rid of it. How to manage it is the biggest challenge.”
Read Complete Article
April 26, 2017
From: Risk-Monger
The European Commission asked its scientific arm, the Joint Research Centre, to study the effects on farmers from its disastrous 2013 precautionary ban on neonicotinoids. The JRC released its study in January and the Commission has refused to act on it or publish the results. Politico leaked a copy last week (see: http://www.politico.eu/wp-conte…/uploads/…/04/JRC-study.pdf…) that shows how farmers are suffering, spraying crops more frequently with older, less effective pestic… See More
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Part 2 of my assessment of the leaked EU Commission study on farming after neonics. . . .
As I read the pages of this internal study on the effects of the Commissions 2013 precautionary ban, I am beginning to realise what a tragic farce this has become. Tragic for farmers, tragic for the environment, tragic for bees. Because chemophobes seem to have influence in Juncker’s cabinet, the Commission is not releasing this publicly funded study.
See p 112:
http://www.politico.eu/wp-conte…/uploads/…/04/JRC-study.pdf…
April 25, 2017
From: Saveur
The honeybee, which is responsible for pollinating $15 billion of American crops, is in trouble. But a crew of crafty scientists and activists is here to help—not just our bees, but our entire food system
By Michael Snyder
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The honeybee’s single biggest enemy in the U.S. and Europe is a parasitic mite aptly named Varroa destructor, first introduced to the United States 30 years ago, when it most likely hitched a ride from its native habitat in Southeast Asia on the back of an infected queen.
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April 24, 2017
From: Pest Control Technology
In a research essay published recently in the Journal of Economic Entomology, Robert Owen argues that human activity is a key driver in the spread of pathogens afflicting the European honey bee and recommends a series of collective actions necessary to stem their spread.
Entomological Society of America
As reported by the Entomological Society of America, in the search for answers to the complex health problems and colony losses experienced by honey bees in recent years, it may be time for professionals and hobbyists in the beekeeping industry to look in the mirror.
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April 21, 2017
From: Sidney Herald
By Renée Jean Sidney Herald
Beth Eiring, quarantine and nursery specialist for the Montana Department of Agriculture, is among those on the front lines of the fight for bee health in Montana, a state which typically ranks in the top five in the U.S. for honey production.
“Bees are livestock,” Eiring said. “Treat them that way. Treat for varroa mites. Inspect them every week or couple of weeks. The days of just throwing them on the back 40 and having production are gone.”
Read Complete Article
April 20, 2017
From: Genetic Literacy Project
Matt Ridley
[GLP Editor’s note: Matt Ridley is a columnist for The Times (UK), a member of the House of Lords and the author of “The Evolution of Everything”.]
The European Commission’s blinkered approach to insecticides shows how basic science is losing out to lobbyists and bureaucrats
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April 19, 2017
From: Capital Press
Bills imposing new dairy, forestry regulations fail
Mateusz Perkowski
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Finally, the committee allowed Senate Bill 929, which would have restricted the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, to die without comment.
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However, critics said that classifying neonicotinoids as restricted use pesticides could steer people to more toxic pesticides that are harmful to people as well as insects.
Read Complete Article
April 18, 2017
From: The Australian
Matt Ridley
Is the European Commission determined to dim the Enlightenment? I ask this because its behaviour in one specific instance goes so utterly with dogma and against evidence as to suggest that there is no longer even a pretence of respect for reason left in Brussels. It concerns bees.
April 17, 2017
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