The battle between man and plant-sucking bugs
December 30, 2015
Editor’s Note: It is varroa destructor, pathogens and disease, not neonics, that are responsible for bee health decline.
From: Agri-Pulse
By Blake Hurst
***
It doesn’t matter. It’s now accepted that we’re about to run out of bees and that neonics are responsible. Except that none of this is true. Pollinators are important, but their numbers aren’t declining. Honey bees are not natural to the United States; they are raised and moved around by beekeepers much like livestock. The quite predictable response by beekeepers to CCD has been to increase the number of hives. The total number of hives in the U.S. has actually been growing for several years, and in 2014, the number of bee hives reached the highest number in twenty years.
***
Although it’s only anecdotal, we do keep bees just outside of two acres of neonic treated greenhouses, surrounded by thousands of acres of neonic treated corn and soybeans. The honey is delicious.
Leave a Comment