What Happened to the Bees This Spring2013 Opt

7/30/2019 What Happened to the Bees This Spring2013 Opt

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CONTENTS

Whathappenedtothebeesthisspring? .............................................................................................. 2

Part1:Environmentalandbioticfactors ..............................................................................................2

RandyOliver .......................................................................................................................................... 2

ScientificBeekeeping.com .....................................................................................................................2

settingthestage................................................................................................................................2

theleadup.........................................................................................................................................3

thedrought........................................................................................................................................4

lackofgoodforage............................................................................................................................5

varroa ................................................................................................................................................6

diseases .............................................................................................................................................7

Otherindicatorsofimpendingcollapse ............................................................................................9

anunexpectedchill ...........................................................................................................................9

feedbackfrombrokers .................................................................................................................... 11

Thesilentmajority...........................................................................................................................11

beekeepermanagement .................................................................................................................12

Whathappenedtothebeesthisspring? ............................................................................................13

Part2:thecontributionfrompesticides .............................................................................................13

RandyOliver ........................................................................................................................................ 13

ScientificBeekeeping.com ...................................................................................................................13

Thelynchmob .................................................................................................................................14

debunkingthemyths.......................................................................................................................15

Theprecautionaryprinciple ............................................................................................................20

Seeforyourself................................................................................................................................21

becarefulwhatyouaskfor!............................................................................................................24

theeffectofdrought .......................................................................................................................2 4

actionstotake .................................................................................................................................25

bottomline......................................................................................................................................27

References.......................................................................................................................................27


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WHATHAPPENEDTOTHEBEESTHISSPRING?

PART1:ENVIRONMENTALANDBIOTICFACTORS

Randy Oliver

ScientificBeekeeping.com

Bynow,mosteveryonehasheardthathoneybeecoloniesdiedinmassivenumbersthiswinter. Reporter

DanRather,inhisnewscastBuzzkill[1

],showedunfortunatebeekeepers,someofwhomhadlosthalformore

oftheircolonies,predictinggloomanddoomforthebeeindustry. Whatwerethecausesofthisyearsbee

shortage? AsRathersays,Everyonehasanopinion. Thequestioniswhetherthoseopinionsarebasedupon

fact! Soletsgoovertheeventsleadinguptothebeesupplydebacle.

SETTINGTHESTAGE

Nearly800,000acresofalmondtreesinCaliforniacameintobloomthiswinterthetreestypicallystart

floweringabout

Valentines

Day,

and

the

bloom

lasts

for

only

about

two

weeks.

Almonds

require

cross

fertilizationbetweenadjacentrowsofvarieties(Fig.1),andhoneybeesaretruckedinfromalloverthe

countrytodothejob(roughlyamillionandahalfcolonies). Manylargecommercialbeekeepersmovetheir

hivesintoCaliforniainNovembertooverwinterinholdingyards;othersbuildthemuponwinterpollenflows

inFloridaorTexas,orholdthemintemperaturecontrolledpotatocellarsuntilshortlybeforebloom. The

hivesaregenerallyplacedintotheorchardsaboutaweekbeforethefirstflowersappear. Thereisvirtuallyno

forageintheorchardspriorto,orafterbloominmanyareas.

Figure 1. An almond orchard in late February, showing the flowering of rows of different cultivars required for

cross pollination. The bare late varieties have not yet bloomed; the green early pollenizers have finished

bloom. Grading of colonies is normally done during the bloom of the main crop (usually Nonpareil).


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THELEADUP

Twoseasonsagotherewasalsoashortageofbeesinalmonds,followingthecoldestJanuary(2011)in17

years(coldbeingamajorstressorofwinteringbeecolonies). Beekeepersthenreplacedtheirdeadoutswith

packagebeesandsplits,thusstartinganewgenerationofcolonies,whichtendtohavelowervarroamite

levelsthanestablishedcolonies. Thesecoloniesenteredautumn2011inprettygoodshape,andthenenjoyed

thefourthwarmestJanuary(2012)onrecord! Asaresult,therewasthelowestrateofwintermortalityin

years,andplentyofbeesforalmondsin2012(Fig.2).

Figure 2. Percent winter losses since the beginning of the national surveythe data is not yet in for 2012/13.

Note that there has been a general downward trend, suggesting that whatever caused the high losses in 2007/8has not been such a problem in recent years. Note also the cyclical nature of colony winter losses, with high

losses in 2004/5, 2006/7, 2009/10, and 2012/13 (some data not shown) Data from [2].

Iwascuriousastowhetherthecolonylossratewaslinkedtotheuseofneonicotinoidinsecticides. There

isnorecentUSDAdata,soIwentthroughtheCaliforniaPesticideUseReports(dataavailablethrough2010). I

plottedtheamountofimidaclopridappliedtocropsinCaliforniaintheprecedingyearinred(theseed

treatmentclothianidindidntevenmakethetop100listofpesticidesapplied). Althoughthereappearstobe

apossiblecorrelationfrom2006through2009,thetrendswerereversedfor2010. Iwillbecurioustoaddthe

2011datawhenitbecomesavailable.

InMarchof2012IreceivedaphonecallfromaCaliforniaqueenproducerwhohadaprescientinsightas

toapotentialbrewingdisaster. HewasreceivingcallsforqueenbeesfromNorthernbeekeeperswhosebees

hadalreadygrowntoswarmingconditionduetotheunseasonablywarmspringweather(Fig.3).


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Figure 3. Last years warm spring in much of the country lead to early broodrearing, and as a result, early

buildup of varroa levels. Note the record warm spring in the Midwest.

Thequeenproducernotedthatsuchearlybroodrearingalsomeantearlymitebuildup,andpredicted

thatsincemostMidwesternbeekeeperstreatformitesbythecalendar,thattheywouldunknowinglyallow

mitestobuildtoexcessivelevelsbeforetreatment. Thiswasstrikeoneagainstthebees.

THEDROUGHT

Thenitdidntrainbymidsummer,itwasclearthatthecontinentalU.S.wasinseriousdrought,including

California,whosebeekeeperssupplynearlyhalfthebeesforalmondpollination. Theonlywaysthatwekept

ourcoloniesstrongwastoeitherfeedexpensivepollensupplementandsugarsyrup,ortomovethemto

elusivebetterpastureoutofstate. Bylatesummer,60%oftheU.S.wasindrought,meaningthatunlessyour

beeswerenexttosoybeansorirrigatedcrops,therewaslittleforageforthem. Thislackofgoodnutrition

wasstriketwoagainstthebees(Fig.4).


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Figure 4. The severe drought in the Midwest really put the hurt to bee pasture in those states in which the

majority of commercial hives spend the summer. Source [3].

Droughtnotonlydriesupnectarandpollensources,butalsoforcesbeestoflyfurtherandmore

frequentlyforwater. Plusitconcentratesagchemicalsandpesticidesinthefewsourcesofsurfacewater

availabletobees. Thebeesstartedtoshowthehurt.

Beekeeperstriedtomovetheirhivestoareasofbetterforage,sometimesoverstockinganareawithtoo

manyhives,whichledtoexcessivecompetitionforresources,andthespreadingofparasites. Others

desperatelychasedlessdesirablecropssuchassunflowers. ColoniesinholdingyardsinCaliforniafoundlittle

toeat,duetoourrecorddryweather. Somebeekeeperswithwintereucalyptuslocationsfoundthem

crowdedwithotherhives.

LACKOFGOODFORAGE

InBuzzkill,BretAdeebroughtupthefactthatbeepastureintheMidwestisdisappearingundertheplow,

largelyduetoourenvironmentallyirresponsibletaxpayersubsidizedpoliciesthatencouragefarmerstoplant

everysquarefootoflandintocorn(Fig.5). Beebrokerstoldmethatcoloniescomingtoalmondsfromthe

Midwestwereingenerallypoorershapethisyearthanthosecomingfromthesouthernstates.

Practicalapplication:someMidwesternbeekeeperssplittheiroperations,haulingsometotheSouthto

rebuildoverwinter,andtherestdirectlytoCaliforniatherewasanightanddaydifferenceastohowthe

colonieslookedinFebruary!


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Figure 5. Grasslands and wetlands in the Corn Belt are rapidly being converted to monocultural, heavily

herbicided corn/soy, which eliminates virtually all bee and wildlife forage. A new study found that between 2006

and 2011 there was a net loss of 1.3 million acres of grassland. This affects not only beesthe authors [4]

state that As a consequence, populations of grassland nesting birds are declining faster than any other group

of birds in North America.

Toputthislossofbeepastureintoperspective,IaskedsomeDakotabeekeepersforestimatesofhow

manyacresofCRPgrasslandareneededtosustainacolonyofbees. Inrecentyears,theoverallhivedensity

inNorthDakotahasbeenmorethan10hivespersquaremile(lessthan64acresperhive,including

wastelands).

Practicalapplication:thebestguessbythosebeekeeperswasthateachcolonyofbeesrequiresabout515

acresofproductivelandforforage(latesummerforagebeingthecriticalfactor). Ifweusethefigureof10

acrespercolony,thentheconversionof1.3millionacresofgrasslandtoherbicidedcroplandsuggeststhat

foragefor130,000coloniesofbeeshasbeeneliminatedinthepastfiveyearsintheCornBeltalone! This

figurerepresentsnearly9%ofallcoloniesneededforalmondpollination.

VARROA

AnexcellentwindowintothecausesofcolonyhealthproblemsistheUSDANationalHoneyBeePests

andDiseasesSurveyReport[5](thelatestdatahavenotyetbeenreleased). Itisworrisomethatvarroalevels

appeartobesteadilyclimbingyearafteryear.

Andifthedroughtandforageproblemswerentenough,thefavoredmiticideofcommercialbeekeepers

becameunavailableforatimelastsummer,andmitelevelsbuilttokillinglevelsinanumberofoperations. By

lateJuly,someofuswerealreadypredictingadisasterfortheupcomingalmondpollinationseason. Although


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manybeekeepersfinallygotmitelevelsdownwithlateseasontreatments,thedamagehadalreadybeen

done,andtherewasnoturningthecoloniesaround. Strikethreeforthebees!

InNovembersemiloadsofhivesstartedmovingintoCalifornia,orhadbeenplacedinpotatocellars.

SomeofthecoloniesthatarrivedfromtheMidwestwereinpoorshape,orcrawlingwithmites. Oddly,few

beekeepersatthetimeowneduptohavingproblems,despitethereportsthatIkepthearingofmiteand

forageissues! Imnotsurewhetherthiswasduetodenial,wishfulthinking,simplelackofliftingthelids,or

somethingelse.

DISEASES

Nosemainfectionalsorunsrampantacrossthecountry70%ofcolonieswereinfectedinJuneoflast

year. Thestressfulfactorsleadinguptoalmondbloomapparentlyputalotofhivesclosetothetippointat

which pathogenscanoverwhelmthecolonyimmunesystemandstartitgoingbackwards,orinitiatetheslide

intosuddendepopulation(detailedat[6]). FewseemtobementioningsignsofCCDitisunfortunatethatthe

mediakeepusingthattermasacatchallforallhiveproblems!

One

should

keep

in

mind

that

the

winter

collapse

issue

appears

to

be

cyclical,

similar

to

flu

or

other

pathogenepidemics. Ihavestrongreasontosuspectthattheconstantlyevolvingvirusesareinvolvedinthese

colonycollapseepidemics.

TherehasalsobeenastrongresurgenceofEuropeanFoulbroodandotherunidentifiedbrooddiseases[7]

(Figs.6,7,and8). UnlikeEFBofold,thenewformsdontgoawaywithanectarflow.

Figure 6. Shot brood due to EFB. Note the fat queen near the center. Despite her vigorous egglaying, this

colony is unable to pull ahead due to excessive brood mortality. Lots of beekeepers reported EFB symptoms

this winter.


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Figure 7. You really have to look hard in some colonies with spotty brood to see the cause! Two larvae in this

photo show signs of EFB infection.

Figure 8. Dying brood from one of my sick colonies this spring with EFB-like symptoms. Note the shot

pattern, the twisted larvae, and the dried larval remains. There is also some AFB-like coloration, but lack of

roping or AFB odor (this odor is distinct and sour), nor a positive Holst milk test. In this colony, even pupae were


9/30

dying. I observe these symptoms independent of whether the hives went to almond pollination or not. Colonies

with this (or similar) infection cannot grow. Treatment with oxytetracycline generally clears it up.

OTHERINDICATORSOFIMPENDINGCOLLAPSE

OnethingthatInoticedinBuzzkillwastheuneatenpollensupplementpattiesinmanyofthecrashed

hives. Ivementionedbefore[8]thatIvefoundacolonysfailuretoconsumepollensupplementtobea

reliablepredictor

that

that

colony

will

later

collapse.

Anotherstrongpredictorofwintercollapseisweakstrengthinfall(upcomingarticle),againstrongly

suggestingthatthosecoloniesalreadyhavesomesortofhealthissuegoingintowinter. Iheardreportsfrom

alloverthecountrythatbeeswentintowinterinpoorcondition.

ANUNEXPECTEDCHILL

ThefinalblowtohivesinCaliforniawasablastoficyweather(Fig.9). Thisunexpectedchilling

compoundedalltheexistingproblems! Ivepreviouslypointedoutthatcolonycollapseoftenfollows

unseasonablechills,sinceitshiftsthetippointforvirusandnosemaepidemics. Clustersthathadexpanded

forbroodrearingcontracted,resultinginchilledbroodanddeadyoungbeesontheground. Myowncolonies

simplyshutdownbroodrearingcompletely,losingabouttwoweeksofbuildup.

Figure 9. Chilling events (blue arrows) in Modesto, California this winter (the dark blue lines represent normal

highs and lows). The unusual chilling in late December and early J anuary (hitting the 20s in a number of

areas) came at the time when colonies normally begin to build up for almonds. This severe (for California) cold

set the already-stressed colonies back hard, and may have allowed nosema and viruses to gain the upper

hand. Graph from wunderground.com.

Atthe

national

convention

in

January,

the

first

reports

of

beekeepers

with

collapsing

operations

were

heard. Butstill,theindustrywasindenial,withanapparentglutofpromisedbeesaslateastheendofthe

month(twoweeksbeforestartofbloom)! ButwhentherubberfinallyhittheroadinmidFebruary,that

illusorysupplyquicklyevaporated,withdesperategrowersandbrokersscramblingtoobtainbeessome

offeringobscenelyhighpricesforsubstandardcolonies.

Andthen,duetothecoolspring,thetreesheldoffonbloomingforanextra1014days[9]colonies

placedinanticipationofnormalstartofbloomjustsattherestarvingandshiveringonthecoldorchardfloors.


10/30

Practicalapplication: thebiologyhereisthatthisisthetimeofthespringturnoverinbeepopulationsin

California,duringwhichtheoldoverwinteredadultbeesmustreartheirreplacementsforthespring

buildupofpopulation. Theconditionsinthealmondorchardspriortobloomaremiserableforsmaller

coloniesitiswarmenoughtoencouragethemtobreakwinterclusterandexpandthebroodnest,but

overnightfrostsontheValleyfloorcancauseseriouschillstress. Furthermore,itisoftenwarmenoughto

flyatmidday,butthereisvirtuallynothingtoforageuponuntilthetreesstartblooming! Suchfruitless

foragingfurtherwearsouttheworkers,andallowssickbeestodrifttoadjacenthives. Worseyet,the

desperateforagersroboutanydeadordyingcoloniesinadjacentorchards,rapidlyandeffectively

transmittingmites,nosema, viruses,andanythingelseharmfulinthedeadouts.

Manycolonieswentbackwardsduringthisexcruciatinglylongwait. Somebeekeeperstoldmethathives

gradedatplacementscoredbetterthanthosegradedatbloom(justtheoppositeofnormal)!

Ivebeencarefullyobservingspringturnoverinmydinks(weakcolonies)inFebruary(Fig.10). WhatI

findisthattheproblemisgenerallynotthequeen;rather,thecoloniesareinfectedwithsomepathogen

mostcommonlynosema[10],theparalyticviruses[11],orEFB(orEFBlikebrooddisease). Thosecoloniesthat

areabletosuccessfullyemergeonesolidroundofbroodareoftenabletocleartheinfectionand

completelyrebound

by

April.

Those

that

get

hit

by

frost

in

February

often

collapse.

Figure 10. An example of an unsuccessful spring turnover. This colony is in the middle of typical February

collapse from nosema or IAPV. You can easily see the outline of the area recently covered with brood,

delineated by the crescents of freshly-packed pollen. Colonies undergoing this sort of depopulation tend not to

forage for nectar, and do not respond well to supplemental feeding. This colony continued to collapse quickly,

and finally died in a cold snap a week laterwith only silver-dollar sized patch of dead bees remaining.


11/30

FEEDBACKFROMBROKERS

Iaskedafewofthemajorpollinationbrokersfortheirobservationsonthecolonyshortagethisseason.

Theirfeedbacksuggestedthatthecausesforthebeeshortagewerevariedandmany. Summary:

1. Mostwereabletoeventuallyfilltheircontracts. Beekeepersoftenholdcoloniesinreservejustincase,

orgamblingthatinshortyearstheycanrentthoselasthivesatanelevatedprice. Also,whenthe

offeredprice

went

up,

hives

not

originally

intended

to

go

to

almonds

were

loaded

up

at

the

last

minute

andshippedtoCalifornia(IwasinFloridaatthestartofbloom,andhadaninspectortellmeofcertifying

coloniesforshipmentafterthebloomhadalreadybegun!).

2. AnumberofhivesreceivedinNovemberwerealreadyheadeddownhill. Someexhibitedthesymptomof

beesnotclusteringproperly(atypicalsignprecedingsuddencolonydepopulation/CCD). Somearrived

crawlingwithmites,orwithrecentmitetreatmentsinplace(suggestingthattheyweretreatedtoolate).

3. Somegraderssawpilesofdeadbeesinfrontofhivescauseunknown. Therewerereportsofsome

herbicidetankmixeskillingbees.

4. Manyoftheplacedcolonieswerebelowstandardgradegrowerspaidforlessthantheyexpected!

5. Graderstoldmethattherewasahugevariationinhivestrengthfrombeekeepertobeekeeper. Many

hiveswere

strong

(12

16

frames

of

bees)

and

healthy;

other

operations

graded

at

zero

to

three

frames

of

bees(someofthedeadoutshadspiderwebsinside,suggestingthattheyhadntbeenoccupiedbybeesfor

sometime).

6. Theunusualwinterchillwastoughoncoloniesthathadbeenstimulatedintoearlybuildup,andthen

forcedtocontracttheirbroodnests. Somecolonieskickedoutchilledbroodanddeadbeesafterwards.

7. Manybeekeeperswatchedtheircoloniesgobackwardpriortobloom.

8. ColoniesfromtheSouthernstates(especiallythosedeliveredinFebruary)weregenerallyinbettershape

thanthosefromtheMidwest.

9. Midwesternbeekeepersblameddrought,mites,poornutrition.

10.Severalbeekeeperssaidthattheirbestbeescamefromremoteareas,andtheirworstfromagareas.

11.Anumberofbeekeepersadmittedinadequatemitetreatment;miteswerearecurrenttheme.

12.TherewereanumberofreportsofEFBhittingcolonies.

13. Somehadgottenhitlastsummerwithpesticidesprays,andtheircoloniesdidntrecover.

14. Thereweregoodbeesandbadbeesfromeverystate.Theyallseemedtohavedifferentproblems

dependingonlocation/state.

15. Manygoodbeekeeperssimplydidntknowwhathappenedtotheirhives;therewerelotsoflifelesshives

delivered. Theatmospherewasripewithspeculationastotheactualcauses.

16. TheshortagewasalsocreatedbybeekeepersthatchosenottocometoCaliforniaforavarietyof

reasons. Theycanmakemoremoneywithhoney,didntgetpaidforwhattheyhavebroughtinthepast,

beescomebackhomewithmites,beetlesandwhateverelsetakesarideonthehives.Beekeepersdont

wantto

risk

bee

health

to

chase

the

dollar.

Many

out

of

state

beekeepers

have

had

bad

experiences

goingtoalmonds,andsimplydontfeelthatitsworthit. Thesupplyofbeeswilllargelydependuponthe

pricethatgrowersofferforrentingthem!

THESILENTMAJORITY

Buzzkillleavesonewiththeimpressionthattheentirebeeandalmondindustriesareonthevergeof

collapse. Ofcourse,thenewsmediafocusonfearanddisaster,sowemayconsidertakingsuchdire


12/30

projectionswithagrainofsalt. InthecaseofDanRather,thefocuswasonthebeekeeperswithtroubles,not

uponthosewhosuccessfullyfilledtheirpollinationcontracts.

Sojusthowseverewastheproblem? Letssaythattherewasanoverallshortageof100,000hives(a

figurethatIheardfloated)thatwouldrepresentonlyabout6%ofthetotalnumberofhivesplacedinto

almondpollination. Theother94%weresuccessfullydelivered(althoughaproportionofthosewereweak

duetothepoorseason).

Sincethedebacle,IveheardfromplentyofbeekeeperswhomIllrefertoasthesilentmajority,who

experiencednormalcolonywinterlossesinthe525%range,andwhosuccessfullyfilledtheirpollination

contracts. Althoughtheheartsofallbeekeepersgoouttothosewhosufferedseverecolonylosses,manyfelt

thatsomeofthoselossescouldhavebeenpreventediftheafflictedbeekeepershadbeenmoreproactive

thanreactive.

Anddontforgetthoseuponwhomtherestoftheindustrydependstosupplybeesforrestockingtheir

deadouts! TheCaliforniapackageproducers,whohavebeenpollinatingalmondsfordecades,areroutinely

countedontoconsistentlytakestronghivestoalmonds,andtothenshakeoverahundredthousandpackages

ofbeesforsaleafterwards. Fewofthesemajorproducersexperiencesevereunexplainedcolonylosses.

BEEKEEPERMANAGEMENT

BynomeansamIsuggestingthatthosebeekeeperswhosufferedlossesengagedinpoorbeekeeping

practices,butIcanthelpbutnoticethatnotallbeekeeperswereequallyaffectedagreatnumberprovided

strong,healthycoloniestoalmonds. Ivespokentosomeofthemthecommonthreadisthatthosewho

recognizedtheproblemsofpoornutritionandmitesinAugust,andtookremedialactionfortherestofthe

season,hadacceptablewinterlosses.

Somebeekeeperswhoreallyputseriouseffortandmoneyintobeehusbandrywereevenabletosell

shookbees

from

their

colonies

to

others

in

February!

For

example,

watch

Keith

Jarrett

feeding

substantial

quantitiesofpollensupplementtoverystrongcoloniesinJanuary[12]Keithconsistentlybringsverystrong

coloniestoalmondseveryyear,andthisyearwasnoexception!

Practicalapplication:Imheretotellyou,thatonelessonthatIvelearnedduringourintenseCalifornia

drought,isthatthoseyardsthatIfedwithproteininlatesummerbeforetheystartedgoingdownhillwent

toalmondsmuchstrongerthanthosethatIdidntfeeduntilfall! Proactiveisbetterthanreactiveifyou

waituntilcoloniesarealreadygoingdownhill,itismuchmoredifficulttoturnthemaround!

Iveoftenbeenaccusedofbeingpoliticallyincorrectforspeakingfrankly. Idliketomakeamendsatthis

pointbyretiringtherudeandunsympathetictermPPB(PissPoorBeekeeping). Thefactisthattheaverage

winteringlossforthepastfewyearshashoveredaround30%. Soifyouexperience30%losses,youcannow

proudlycallyourselfanAveragebeekeeper!

Butwhataboutthosebeekeeperswhoconsistentlymanagetoenjoylowerratesofwinterloss? I

proposethatwecallthemLuckybeekeepers,andthebestofthem,ConsistentlyLucky.

Practicalapplication:theharderthosebeekeeperswork,theluckiertheyget!


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Buttherewereclearlyunluckybeekeepersthisyearespeciallythebigboyswhobroughttensof

thousandsofhivesfromthedroughtravaged,andcornconvertedMidwesttoCalifornia. California

beekeepersareusedtosummerdrought. Wehavelearnedtoeithermoveourcoloniestobetter(often

irrigated)pasture,ortofeedexpensivepollensupplements. Thiswouldbeaveryexpensivepropositiontothe

largeroperators,withhivesspreadallovertheplaceacostnotcoveredbycurrentpollinationprices.

WHATHAPPENEDTOTHEBEESTHISSPRING?PART2:THECONTRIBUTIONFROMPESTICIDES

Randy Oliver

ScientificBeekeeping.com

Itsprettystraightforwardtoattributethemajorityofcolonylossesthiswintertotheusualand

aforementionedcauses,butanumberofbeekeepersarealsopointingthefingeratpesticides. Thereisno

doubtthatincertainareaspesticideswereaseriousissuetobeekeepers. Coloniessetbackbypesticidekills

maynotfullyrecoverovertheseason,andthosegoingintowinterwithpesticideresiduesmaygodownhill.

Thereis

also

reason

to

suspect

that

pesticides

and

miticides

have

something

to

do

with

todays

high

rates

of

queenfailure.

Thebeesinsomedroughtstrickenareaswereforcedtoforageonirrigatedandpesticideladencrops

theonlyplaceinwhichtherewasanythingtoeat. Thischangestheentiredynamicsofpesticideexposure,

sinceresidueswouldnolongerbedilutedbythepollenandnectarofnoncropplants. Thelackofgood

naturalforagealsosuppressestheabilityofcoloniestodealwiththeinsultofthosepesticides. Andcolonies

maybeforced,bynecessity,toforageupononetreatedcropafteranother,resultinginmultipleexposures.

Practicalapplication:underdroughtconditions,beesmaysuffermorefrompesticidesthanwhentimesare

good.

Duetothecurrenthighpricesforagriculturalcommodities,farmersareoftenapplyingpesticides

indiscriminatelyasriskinsuranceratherthanduetoactualneed. Achillingrecommendationfroman

extensionentomologistreads:

Iencourageyoutoberiskaverseandtomakeaninvestmentthatwillpaydividendsforyourvaluable

crop. Considerapplying[flubendiamide,indoxacarb,orspinosad]forcornearworm. Ifyouhavestinkbugs

andareinthe[matureplant]stages,youmightwanttotankmixoneoftheseproductswithapyrethroid. A

tankmixofapyrethroidandacephateareanoption,butwillwipeoutallbeneficials[13].

Thefirstthreeinsecticidesmentionedareconsideredtobereducedrisktobeesifresiduesareallowed

todry

for

afew

hours,

but

no

mention

was

made

to

spray

at

night.

Of

the

five

insecticides

recommended

aboveforsprayingoncornintassel,atleastfourarehighlytoxictobeesifsprayedduringtheday! Nofarmer

wantstokillbees,butwithrecommendationslikethisfromstateextensionagents,wellmeaninggrowersmay

unwittinglybehurtingpollinators.

Beesinagriculturalareasareexposedtoavastarrayofinsecticides,miticides,fungicidesand

surfactantsmanyofwhichhaveclearlinkstocolonyhealthproblems. Andapplicationsofnewmixesof

chemicalsareup. Forexample,inadditiontotheneonicotinoidseedtreatments, granularinsecticidesoil


14/30

treatmentsforcornintheMidwestwereupby30%overthepreviousyear[14]. Thesetreatmentsconsistof

combinationsoforganophosphatesandpyrethroids.

ButImnothearingeitherthebirdgroupsorbeekeepersevenaddressingthesetreatments! Itisscaryto

readthesalesliteratureforCounterinsecticide,theorganophosphateterbufos[15]. Growersareencouraged

toapplyitatplantingtime,despitethefactsthat:

1. Terbufos

is

highly

toxic

to

birds,

fish,

and

aquatic

invertebrates

[and

bees].

[It]

shows

significant

acute

mortalitiesofbirds,mammals,reptiles,andfishresultingfrombroadcastapplicationInthesamestudy,

theapplicationofterbufosasasoilincorporatedtreatmenttocornresultedinacutemortalitiestobirds

andreptiles[16].

2. Terbufosisstronglysystemic,meaningthatitisabsorbedbytheplantrootsandcouldbeexpectedtobe

expressedinthepollenandnectar.

3. ItcansynergizewithotherpesticidessinceittiesupthecriticalCP450enzymesusedindetoxification,to

theextentthatgrowersarecautionedthatitcancauseproblemstocornfromherbicides[17].

Duringdrought,certaininsectpestsbecomemoreproblematic,perhapsresultinginincreasedexposure

toinsecticidesbybees. Forexample,droughtencouragescornleafaphids. Readthischillingrecommendation

foraphidsoncornduringtasseling(whenbeesareactivelyforaging):

Iflessthan50%ofpollinationhasoccurred,aphidsandhoneydewarecoveringtasselsandplantsare

stressed,aninsecticidemaybenecessarytoensureadequatepollination,buttreatmentsneedtobemade

within48hoursoftasselemergence.AsanaXL,Brigade,Capture,Cobalt,Dimethoate,Lannate,Lorsban,or

Malathionmaybeusedforcontrol[18].

Orthis:

Prolongeddroughtalwaysraisesthespecteroftwospottedspidermiteoutbreaksinsoybeansandcorn.

As

the

2012

drought

intensifies

in

Minnesota,

infestations

are

reaching

treatable

levelsThe

only

products

thatarerecommendedforspidermitesinsoybeanincludeinsecticidescontainingchlorpyrifos,dimethoateand

bifenthrin[19].

Thenamesoftherecommendedinsecticidesabovestrikefearintotheheartsofbeekeepers!

Practicalapplication: manyconsistentlyluckybeekeepersgotogreatefforttoallowtheircoloniesto

recoverafterexposuretopesticidesmovingthemtounsprayedareasornaturalforage,orbyimmediately

feedingproteinsupplementtostimulateincreasedbroodrearing. Unfortunately,suchrecoveryareasare

gettingharderandhardertofind.

THELYNCH

MOB

Despitethefactthatawiderangeofbeetoxicinsecticidesarebeingapplied(oftenduringbloom)to

corn,soy,sunflowers,alfalfa,cotton,andothermajorcrops,ifyouGoogleanythingaboutinsecticideuse,

youllquicklyfindthattheblogospherefocusesonlyupontheputativelinkbetweenasingleclassof

insecticidestheneonicotinoidsandthedemiseofpollinators[20].

PeoplelookatmeincredulouslywhenIpointoutthatthereiszerofirmevidencetodatethattheneonic

seedtreatmentsareaseriousproblem! Butthenotionthatallhoneybeeproblemsarecausedbyan


15/30

insidiousnewinsecticideresonateswithadistrustfulpublic[21],andhasfirmlyestablisheditselfascommon

knowledge. Butrepeatingsomethingdoesnotmakeittrue!

Its easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled--Mark Twain

Practicalapplication: thequestionis,Aretheneonicseedtreatmentsbeingrailroadedintoaguiltyverdict

inthemediaskangaroocourtofpublicopinion?

Onegroup

recently

brought

suit

against

the

EPA

to

ban

the

use

of

the

seed

treatments

clothianidin

and

thiamethoxam[22],neitherofwhichevenmakeCaliforniastop100listofpesticidesapplied[23],northathave

everbeendemonstratedtoharmcoloniesfeedingonthepollenornectarofseedtreatedplants! Anumber

ofpeoplehavemadeuptheirmindsthattheneonicsarethemaincauseofcolonycollapse,anditappears

thatnoamountoffactstothecontrarywillcausethemtoreconsider!

DEBUNKINGTHEMYTHS

Asanyonewhoknowsmewilltellyou,Iamasticklerforhonesty,accuracy,andfactuality. Iam

concernedabouttheamountofmisinformationandspeculationgoingaroundabouttheneonics. Soletslook

atsome

of

the

claims

vs.

the

actual

facts.

Argumentsagainstneonicseedtreatments Actualfacts

Theneonicotinoidshavebeenlinkedtoincreased

colonymortality.

Inactuality,suchalinkismerelyanurbanlegend,

andhasneverbeendemonstratedorconfirmedin

anystudy.

Ontheotherhand,theresiduesofotherclassesof

pesticidesaremoresuspectforcausingincreased

broodoradultbeemortality[24].

ThetimingofCCDcoincideswiththeintroductionof

theneonicseedtreatmentsin2004.

CCDstartedinCaliforniabeesinthewinterof

2004/2005,priortothemeverbeingexposedtosee

treatedcrops.

Butwhatelsecouldhavechangedatthattime

otherthantheintroductionofneonics?

InCalifornia,Dr.EricMussen[25]determinedthat

theincreasedcolonylosseswereduetopoor

summerforageandfailureofmitecontrolproducts

(justasthislastwinter).

Thereisactuallyamuchstrongerassociation

betweentheincidenceofthenovelgutparasite

Nosemaceranaeandincreasedcolonymortality[26].

Butthemainthingthathaschangedisthe

dynamicsofthevarroa/viruscomplex,which

coincidentallyoccurredataboutthesametimethat

theneonicscameintouse.


16/30

Europeancountriesbannedtheneonics,andthe

beesrecoveredafterthosebans.

Afewcountriesplacedtemporarysuspensionson

certainseedtreatmentsuntilplantingdustissues

wereresolved[27]onlyGermanyhasone

suspensionstillinplace. Thefoliarapplications

werenotsuspended. Thesuspensionsdidnot

resolvebeehealthproblems.

TheEuropean

Food

Safety

Authority

recently

decide

thatneonicsposeathreattobees.

TheCenter

for

Regulatory

Effectiveness

(CRE)

has

recentlycompletedaDataQualityAct(DQA)Alert

onthe(EFSA)reportonneonicotinoidswhich

foundthatneonicotinoidsposearisktobees.The

DQAAlertoutlinestheseriousdeficienciesofthe

EFSAreportanddemonstrateswhytheEFSAreport

violatestheDQAInparticular,theEFSAreport

failedtomaximizetheobjectivityofthedataby

failingtoreconcilenumerousstudieswhose

conclusionscontradictedthefindingsoftheEFSA

report[28].

Severallabstudieshavefoundthatneonicsaffect

individualbeebehavior,longevity,orimmunity.

Truealthoughmanystudiesusedunrealistically

highdoses. Thequestioniswhethersuchartificial

studiesapplytoactualcoloniesinthefield. The

numerousfieldstudiestodatehavefailedtofind

anylinkbetweenseedtreatmentsandlatercolony

healthissues.

Itistheseedtreatmentsthatmakecornaproblem. AsBretAdeepointsoutinBuzzkill,cornisreplacing

pastureland

(Fig.

4).

Corn,

as

grown

today,

is

a

virtualbeedesert(similartothewayinwhich

suburbanlawnsaregreenbeedeserts). Anditsnot

onlythebeesthatthisisaffecting,thepopulations

ofbirdsandotherwildlifeareplummetingdueto

lossoffavorablehabitat(seemyblogonbirdsand

neonics[29]).

ArecentsurveybyDr.JerryBromenshenkfound

thatbeesactuallyavoidfieldcornpollen,andare

exposedtoverylittleoftheseedtreatment

residues[30].

Numerousindependentstudies,andtheexperience

ofstationarybeekeepersthroughouttheCornBelt,

supporttheconclusionthatcoloniescanthrive

whensurroundedbycorn,providedthatthereis

somealternativeforagewithinflightrange.


17/30

Astheuseofneonicseedtreatmentsincreases,bee

mortalitygoesup.

Inactuality,colonymortalityratesgoupanddown

yeartoyear,largelydependentuponweatherand

varroamitecontrol. Iftheneonicsweretoblame

forthiswintersbeelosses,whydidnttheycause

similarlosseslastwinter,inwhichthecolony

mortalityrate

was

the

lowest

in

years?

Frenchbeekeepersalsostartedseeingproblems

withtheintroductionoftheneonics

IvespokenwithbeekeepersinFrancewhose

apiariesareinpesticidefreeareas. Theytellme

thattheyexperiencethesamesortsofcolony

mortalityproblemsasdothoseinareasexposedto

neonics.

BeesintheU.S.arecommonlyexposedto

neonicotinoids.

InthemostrecentUSDAsurvey(100samples

acrossthecountry),imidaclopridwasonlydetected

9%ofthesamples[31](althoughIfoundsomeof

theresiduelevelsalarminglyhigh). However,the

mostcommonseedtreatment,clothianidin(orits

degradationproducts),wasnotdetectedatall!

Theaboverealworlddatasuggeststhateffortsto

banclothianidinasaseedtreatmentmaybe

misplaced. Itappearsthatimidacloprid,especially

asafoliarapplication,wouldbeofmoreconcern.

Neonicsarethemostcommonpesticidesthatbees

areexposed

to.

Intheabovesurvey,otherseriousinsecticideswere

morecommonly

prevalent:

chlorpyrifos

(in

20%

of

samples),cyhalothrin(in7%),andendosulfan(in

11%).

Notably,therewasalsoahighprevalenceof

beekeeperappliedmiticides:fluvalinate(in38%),

coumaphos(in87%),amitraz(in27%),

fenpyroximate(in11%),andthymol(in27%).

Therewasevenhigherexposuretofungicidesand

adjuvants.

Itismisleadingforthepesticidecompaniesto

blametheproblemsonvarroa,nosema,orpoor

nutrition.

Theabovesurvey(over1000samples)foundthat

theaveragevarroainfestationrateintheU.S.in

autumnisabovethedangerlevelforvirus

epidemics!

Sixtyto100%ofhivesareinfectedwithnosemain

December.


18/30

Summerdroughthashistoricallybeenassociated

withhighwintermortality.

Butdidnttheplantingdustfromcornseedingkill

coloniesinOntario?

Plantingdustisseparateissuethatclearlyneedsto

beremedied. Itdoesonoccasioncausebeekills,

forwhichbeekeepersarerarelycompensated. This

situationmustchange! Allpartiesareactively

workingon

solutions

[32].

Beesincertainagriculturalareastendtogo

downhilllaterintheseason.

Thishasbeenobservedforalongtimelong

beforetheneonics. Thequestioniswhich

chemicals,chemicalsynergies,orchemical/nutrient

interactionsareresponsible? TheFrazier/Mullin

teamatPennStatehasdevelopedaprotocolfor

helpingtofigurethisout. Istronglysupportits

adoptionbytheEPAforpesticideriskanalysis.

Coloniesforaginguponnectarorpollenofseed

treatedcropsgetpoisoned.

Askyourselfthis: ifneonicresidueswereactually

soharmfultobees,howisitthattheCanadian

beekeepers,whosebeesforagelargelyonseed

treatedcanola,feedingsolelyuponadietofcanola

nectarandpollenwithwelldocumentedresidues

ofclothianidin,experienceverylowwinterlosses,

despitethelongCanadianwinter(solongasthey

controlvarroaandnosema)?

Andhowisitthatthevastmajorityofbeekeepers

intheU.S.CornBeltreportthattheircolonies

thriveandthattheyhavefarfewerpesticideissues

thesedaysthaninthepast?

Theneonicotinoidsaresystemic,meaningthat

they areintheplantsallthetime!

True,butthispropertyisnotuniquetothe

neonicsanumberofotherinsecticidesalsogo

systemic. Inanycase,withseedtreatment,the

concentrationoftheinsecticideintheplantisonly

highwhentheplantisyoungitgetsdilutedasthe

plantgrows(e.g.,clothianidinincanolaisatalevel

highenoughtokillaphidsforonlyaboutthefirst

30days

of

growth).

Theonlytimethatresiduesintheplantmatterto

pollinatorsiswhenthematureplantflowers. The

amountofseedtreatmentiscarefullycalibratedso

thattheresidueinthepollenandnectararebelow

thelevelthatcausesdemonstrableharmtobees.

Inthecaseoffoliar,drench,orchemigation


19/30

applicationspriortobloom,therearegreater

possibilitiesforbeestobeexposedtotoxiclevels.

Therearefewerbutterfliesandpollinatorsinthe

fieldsthesedays.

Notsurprising,sincethenewpushforclean

farminghasremovedthehostplantsuponwhich

thebutterflylarvaefeed. Pollinatorsareforcedto

subsistuponthestretchesofweedsgrowingalong

roadsat

the

edges

of

fields.

But

surprisingly,

pollinatorsmaybeabundantthere,suggestingthat

eventhoughpopulationsasawholearereducedby

habitatconversion,itisthat,ratherthantheuseof

seedtreatments,thatcausesthepopulation

declines.

Theevilpesticidecompanieswanttokillhoney

bees.

Givemeabreak! Doesanyonetrulybelievethat

anyonewantstokillhoneybees? Whatpesticide

companywouldwantthebadpressofbeing

associatedwith

killing

bees?

The

chemists

and

biologistsontheirstaffsearnestlyworktodevelop

insecticidesthatarebeefriendly.

TheEPAisbeingderelictintheirdutytoprotect

pollinators.

IhavespokenatlengthwithEPAstaff,and

reviewedtheirriskassessments,aswellasthoseby,

DEFRA,EFSA,PMRA,andotherregulatoryagencies.

findthattheriskassessorshavenotoverlookedany

evidence,arewellinformedonthesubjectof

neonics,andarejustifiedintheirassessmentsthat

the

on

the

ground

evidence

(to

date)

indicates

that

neonicseedtreatmentsposeacceptableriskto

pollinators.

Wemustallrememberthatthetobaccoindustry

triedtohidethefactthatnicotinewasaddictive[33]

Spareme! Doesanyoneseriouslythinkthatthe

EPAisunawarethatindustryexecutivesmay

stretchthetruth? OfcoursetheEPAisskepticalof

anyreassuringclaimsbythepesticideindustry

thatswhytheygooverallstudieswithafinetoo

thedcomb!

Thiswinters

losses

spell

the

end

to

commercial

beekeeping.

Thefact

of

the

matter

is

that

many

observers

note

thatthebeesupplyforalmondsoftenfollowsa

boombustcycle. Althoughlosseswerehighthis

year,thetrendforthelastdecadehasbeenfor

beekeeperskeeprampingupthesupplyofbeesfor

almonds. Solongasgrowersarewillingtopaya

profitablerentalrateforcolonies,marketforces

willencouragethebeeindustrytomeetthe


20/30

demand(foradetailedanalysis,see[34]).

THEPRECAUTIONARYPRINCIPLE

But,yousay,shouldntweexerciseprecautionduetothelabstudiesthatfindadverseeffectsfrom

theneonics?

Look,

Imake

my

living

as

abeekeeper,

Im

not

out

to

sell

insecticides,

and

am

as

concerned

as

thenextpersonabouttheenvironmentandthesafetyofthefoodIeat. Iveresearchedtheneonics

exhaustively,andaddressedtheminseveralarticles[35]. Iamacutelyawarethattherearesuggestionsthat

theneonicsmaybecausinginsidiouseffectsintheenvironment,andIvestudiedtheexcellentenvironmental

documentLateLessonsfromEarlyWarnings[36],whichhammersthemessagethatweshouldusethe

precautionaryprinciplewhendealingwithchemicals. Theproblemis,thereisnothingwithoutriskfor

example,youhavea1in83chanceofbeingkilledinanautoaccidentinyourlifetime. Butmostpeoplestill

taketheriskofgettingintocars,sincetheyfeelthatthebenefitoutweighstheclearlyhighrisk!

Mypracticalperspectiveasbothascientistandabeekeeper: ifresearchersperformlabstudiesonany

insecticide,

they

will

find

that

there

are

all

kinds

of

negative

effects

upon

beesthis

should

be

pretty

obvious,sinceinsecticidesarespecificallydesignedtoharminsects! However,themajorityofthesestudies

aretakenoutofthecontextoffullcoloniesunderfieldconditions,wherebeesflyfreeandchoosethe

flowersuponwhichtheyforage. Theevidencetodatesupportsthecontentionthattheneonics,properlyusedasseedtreatments,areindeedanimprovementoverotherinsecticideoptions.AsDr.EricMussensuccinctlynotes:

Nobodysreallybeenabletoshowthat[theneonicotinoids]aremoreproblematicthantherest[ofthepesticidestowhichbeesareexposed][37].

Farbe

it

from

me

to

suggest

that

the

neonics

(or

any

other

pesticides)

are

harmless!

But

consider

thisif

theneonicseedtreatmentswereindeedasharmfulassomemakethemouttobe,youdthinkthataftera

decadeofintensestudythatatleastoneresearchercouldhavecomeupwithasinglesolidpieceoffield

evidenceagainstthem!

Letsdoathoughtexperiment. Whydoesntsomeonesimplyputabunchofhealthyhivesintothe

middleofseedtreatedcropsandseewhethertheydieafterward? Oh,Iforgotthisexperimenthasalready

beenrunbythousandsofbeekeepersyearafteryearintheCornBeltandtheCanadianprairie! Andthose

beekeepershaveinvitedmetolookattheircolonies,sentmephotosofcoloniesstackedheadhighwith

honeysupers,andbraggedabouttheirhighwintersurvival!

Somewill

argue

'til

they're

blue

in

the

face,

but

the

fact

remains

that

virtually

every

beekeeper

that

I've

spokenwithintheCornBeltandincanolaareasfeelsthattheseedtreatmentsarenotaproblem[38]. Infact,

mosttellmethatthisisthebestit'severbeenasfarasbeesandpesticides!

Commonsense: Ijustdontgetwhatissohardtounderstandabouttherealitythattherearethousandsof

coloniesthrivingyearafteryearinareasofintenseseedtreatment? Toanyreasonablepersonitwould

suggestthatthetreatmentsarecausinglittlenoticeableharmotherthantheoccasionalplantingdustkill,

whichIhaverepeatedlystatedisaproblemthatneedstobecorrected!


21/30

SEEFORYOURSELF

Letslookatactualindependent(fromthemanufacturer)datafromcornandcanolaareas:

Corn

IaskedfriendsintheCornBeltiftheyhadanydataonwinterlosses. ItsohappensthattheMichiana

BeekeepersAssociation

has

been

collecting

exactly

that

since

the

spring

of

2010

(Fig.

11).

Figure 11. Percentage of winter losses by the Michiana hobby beekeepers. The 2013 figure is as of mid

March; it may eventually go down a bit due to a prolonged cold spring. Note that the winter survival rate

appears to be linked to average winter temperature. Thanks to beekeeper Danny Slabaugh for sharing the data;

temp deviations from [39].

Howcouldtheabovebe? Eightypercentwintersurvivaldespitesittinginthemiddleofseedtreatedcorn

andsoy? SoofcourseIdidafactchecktoconfirmthatthosebeekeeperswereindeedsittingincorn/soy

areas(Fig.

12).


22/30

Figure 12. USDA land cover categories for the region in which the Michiana hobby beekeepers keep bees

corn and soy acreage is color coded yellow and green, respectively. The selected area is the top half of Indiana

and bottom of Michigan, with Lake Michigan at the left. Clearly, these apiaries were exposed to seed-treated

corn and soy! I created the map at [40].

Theabovefiguressuggestthatcolonywintersurvivalforstationaryhobbybeekeepersintheabove

corn/soyregion

is

higher

than

the

national

average,

despitethefactthatabouthalfofthemdonteventreat

formites! Theyalsosuggestthattheneonicsorotherpesticidesusedincorn/soyinthatregiondonotcauseexcessivewinterloss. Finally,thedataindicatethatamainfactorforwinterlossratesisthewinter

temperature.

Canola

Iveheardsomebeekeeperssayingthattheirbeescrashedafterworkingcanola,suspectingthattheseed

treatmentsweretheproblem. SoasarealitycheckIcalledaDakotabeekeeperwhohasbeenrunningbeesto

canolaforoveradecadesome10,000hiveslastseason. Hetellsmethatcolonystrengthaftercanolavaries

fromyeartoyear,butthatheseesnoproblemwiththeseedtreatments. Hedidpointoutthatbeekeepers

shouldbeawarethatcoloniescanplugthebroodnestonintensecanolaflows.

Thebiology: Thepluggingoutofthebroodnestduringanintensebloommeansthatthreeweeksafterward,

therewillbefewemergingworkerstotaketheplaceofthewornoutforagers,andthecolonypopulation

willtemporarilyplummet. Evenworse,theremainingmitesarethenconcentratedontofewerbeeswhich

caninitiatevirusepidemics. Thesecoloniesmustthenattempttorebuildfromscratch,startinginAugust,

meaningthattheweakened,miteinfestedcoloniesfacedthreelongmonthsofdroughtlastsummerfor

thatrebuildingprocess.


23/30

EveryfieldstudythatIveseenforcanolaalsosupportstheconclusionthattheseedtreatmentsaresafe

forbees. Ijoinedotherbeekeepersandregulatorsinobservingalargescalestudyofseedtreatedcanolain

Canada[41]. Canola(orrapeseed)islikelythebesttestcrop,sincebeeseagerly(andvirtuallyexclusively)

forageuponitforbothpollenandnectar,meaningthateverybitoftheirfoodsupplycontainscontaineasily

verifiableresiduesoftheinsecticides. Thepreliminaryresultsindicatethattheclothianidinseedtreatment

didnotharmthecolonies[42].

Anotherrecent

independent

long

term

field

study

in

Poland

[43]

came

to

the

same

conclusion.

In

it,

the

researchersfollowed50coloniesformorethantwoyearsunderfieldconditionsastheyforagedonfive

differentlargefieldsofoilseedrapetreatedwithvariouscombinationsoffivedifferentneonicotinoidsapplied

byseedtreatmentandspraying. Pollenandnectarsamplesweretaken,anddemonstratedthatthebeeswere

clearlyexposedtonormalresiduesoftheinsecticides(therewasalsoadditionalexposuretoothercommon

agriculturalpesticides). Thecoloniesweremonitoredforhealth,brood,strength,nosema,viruses,andwinter

survival,andcomparedtotwocontrolapiariessetinanareafreeofthecrop. Theresults?

Duringthetimefromtheplacingofthecoloniesontherapefieldsuntilwintering,thecoloniesdevelopedproperlyinallgroupsAllcoloniesoverwinteredproperlyInbothyears,duringtheperiodofbeingplacedintheoilseedrapefieldsaswellasafterbeingmovedtothestationaryapiary,noneofthegroupsshoweddisturbancesindevelopmentorfunctioning.

Followingapaperthatsuggestedthattheseedtreatmentswouldimpairbumblebeecoloniesabilityto

rearqueens,DEFRAperformedacommonsensefieldstudylastyear[44]. Theirfindings:

thestudyhasshownthatbumblebeecoloniesremainedviableandproductiveinthepresenceof

theneonicotinoidpesticidesunderthesefieldconditionsThestudyunderlinestheimportanceoftaking

careinextrapolatinglaboratorytoxicologystudiestothefield,aswellasthegreatneedoffurtherstudies

undernaturalconditions.

Sunflowers

Somebeekeepersreportthattheircolonieslatercrashedaftertheychasedsunflowerslastsummerfor

honey. Onemustkeepinmindthatsunflowersarenotanaturalfoodforhoneybees,andprovideonlypoor

quality,nutritionallyinadequatepollen[45]. Butthemainproblemwithputtingbeesonsunflowersmaybe

relatedtothefactthatsunflowersareanativeplantmeaningthatthereareanumberofnativeinsectsthat

evolvedtofeeduponit:

Maximumseedyieldsoftenrequiretheuseofinsecticidestoprotectthecropfrominsectcompetitors.

Unfortunately,manyofthemajorinsectpestsofsunflowerattackthecropwhenitisflowering.Thus,

insecticides

used

to

control

the

pest

also

harm

pollinating

bees

[

46

].

Ifsunflowersaretheonlyforageavailable,coloniesmayeventuallygodownhill,duetotheonetwo

punchofpoorpollennutritioncoupledwithinsecticideexposure. Andwhichpesticideswouldthosebe? One

scarylist AsanaXL,Baythroid,endosulfan,Furadan,Lorsban,methylorethylparathion,,Proaxis,ScoutX

TRA,Sevin,Warrior,MustangMax,Declare,Cobalt,Yuma,DeltaGold,andGrizzlyZ[47]!

Notethatnoneoftheaboveareneonics,otherthanseedtreatmentsforwireworms. Surprisingly,field

evidenceindicatesthattheseedtreatmentsonlystunthewirewormsforawhile[48],whichcertainlyraises


24/30

thequestionastohowharmfultheymightbetobeesmonthslaterwhentheplantsflower! Iwillreturnto

sunflowersbelow.

BECAREFULWHATYOUASKFOR!

AllowmetoassureyouthatIamnopitchmanforneonicsoranyotherinsecticidethetypicalfarmer

practicesfartoolittleintegratedpestmanagement,andappliesfartoomanypesticides! Allinsecticides(and

severalfungicides

and

adjuvants)

cause

problems

to

pollinatorsthe

neonics

are

no

exception.

Any

systemic

insecticidehasthepotentialtoharmbeeswhenappliedasfoliarapplications,bychemigation,ortoflowering

trees,butitthereisnocompellingevidencethattheneonicsareanyworsethanthealternativesinmost

applications. Onthecontrary,thereisquiteabitofevidencethattheymayoftenbesafer(reducedrisk).

Iftheneonicseedtreatmentswerebanned,itsnotasthoughallagricultureissuddenlygoingtogo

pesticidefreeonlyabout1%ofU.S.croplandisregisteredasorganic! Wemustconsiderthelikely

alternatives.Theproductsthatfarmerswouldthenusetocontrolinsectswouldneedtobesprayedallover

thecroplandwedthenbebacktotheproblemthatthebulkofsprayedinsecticidesgointotheenvironment

withouteverhittingtheintendedpest!

Ihearfromknowledgeablebeekeepersthatworsethaninpreviousyears,someofthenewformulations

ofthesprayappliedinsecticides[49,50,51]canreallyknockthesnotoutofbees! Onelargebeekeeperfound

hishivesalreadydeadbeforemovingthemawayfromthefields. Again,thiswasnotaneonicotinoidissue.

Practicalapplication:nooneissayingthattheneonicsareharmless. Thequestioniswhethertheyare

betterorworsethanthealternatives.

THEEFFECTOFDROUGHT

Letsdiscusssomeoftheproblems(orsuspectedproblems)withtheneonicslastseason. Therecord

warmand

dry

spring

appeared

to

exacerbate

corn

planting

dust

issues

(corn

seeds

are

the

worst

offender

due

totheirnonsphericalshape). BeekeepersinsomeareasoftheCornBelt,theEastCoast,andinOntario

sufferedfromconfirmed(inatleastsomeofthecases)plantingdustkills(althoughmanywentontomake

goodhoneycropsaftertheircoloniesrecovered). ThefinalanalysisfromOntarioisnotyetcompleted,butdry

soilconditionsandanearlycloverbloomlikelycontributedtotheproblem. Regulatorsandtheseed

companiesareworkingonsolutionstotheproblem[52]. Still,IMHOitisunacceptabletoaskbeekeepersto

beartheburdenofbeekillswithoutcompensation,andnoonecouldblametheaffectedbeekeepersforbeing

pissed!

Droughtstressedplants

Thereareanumberofadvantagestotheneonicseedtreatments. Besidestheirsafetytothefarmerand

tomostwildlife,thereisvirtuallynowayforthefarmertomisapplythem! Thetimingofapplicationisonlyatplantingtime(whenbeesnormallyhavelittleinterestinthebarefields),andthedoseisdeterminedbythe

seedtreatingcompany. Thismeansthattheapplicatorcantbetemptedtoapplyatthewrongtime,orto

overapplytoostrongadose(however,theirexcessivenearuniversalusecanbeexpectedtoacceleratethe

developmentofresistantpests).

Thatsaid,beekeeperBretAdeebroughtaninterestingquestiontomyattention:thedoseofseedapplied

systemicinsecticides(whetherneonicorother)isbaseduponthedilutionfactorastheplantgrows,sothat


25/30

theresiduesinnectarandpollenwillbereducedtobelowthenoobservedadverseeffectslevel. Butwhat

happensduringdrought,whenthewaterstressedplantsonlygrowkneehighbeforedesperatelyflowering?

Therewouldbefarlessplantbiomassinwhichtodilutetheinsecticide(assumingthatdroughtstressedplants

absorbthesameamountfromtheseedtreatment).

Certainplants(includingsunflowersandcanola)areknowntohyperaccumulatetoxicmetals[53],

perhapsmoresoduringdrought. Couldthisalsobethecasewithsystemicinsecticides? Somethingthats

beenstuck

in

the

back

of

my

mind

is

that

Bonmantin

[54]

found

that

the

concentration

of

imidacloprid

first

dropsinsunflowerplanttissueasitgrows,andthenreconcentratesintheflowerheads.

Itoccurstomethatthetranslocationofsystemicinsecticidesisgenerallystudiedinplantsgrownunder

normalconditions. Idverymuchliketoseedataforresiduesinpollenandnectarfromseedtreatedplants

grownunderdrought. Hadwethoughtofthisearlier,wecouldhavecollectedpollenandnectarsamplesfrom

droughtstressedplantslastsummer. Imcurrentlytryingtotrackdownanydataorsamplesfromsuch

plantsifanyreaderhasanysuchsampleanalyses,pleaseletmeknow!

Practicalapplication: theabovehypothesisisspeculative,butweneedactualdatafromdroughtstressed

plantstoseewhethersuchaneffectoccurs. Ifso,itwouldneedtobetakenintoconsiderationforthe

registrationofseedtreatmentproducts!

Onceplantingwascompletedandthedroughttookitstoll,thereportsthatIveheardarethatsoybean

honeysavedalotofbeeoperationsthisseason,rightinthemiddleoftreatedcorn/soyfarmland. Inthiscase,

seedtreatmentwithneonicotinoidsmayhavebeenablessingtobeekeepers:

Thebenefitsof[seedtreatment]notonlyincludetheearlyseasondiseasecontrolbutalsosuppressionof

soybeanaphidsforquiteawaysintothegrowingseason.Withit,wetypicallymakeonlyonefoliarinsecticide

applicationforaphidcontrol,usuallyinAugust,insteadoftwoapplicationswhen[treatment]isntused. In

2012,withtheextremelydryconditionsinmidseason,therewasntasmuchofanaphidproblem,andwe

treatedjust

300

acres

of

soybeansLast

year

we

sprayed

closer

to

30,000

acres

for

aphids

[

55

].

Ontheotherhand,somebeekeepersonalfalfaorcottongothithardbyotherclassesofinsecticides. A

hitfromapesticideapplicationcanleadtopoorsubsequentcolonyperformance,queenfailure,dwindling,or

wintercollapse. ABJpublishedanexcellentseriesofarticlesonpesticidesbyDrs.BarbaraandEricEricksonin

1983;EditorJoeGrahamhasgraciouslygrantedmepermissiontopostcopiesofthosearticlestomywebsite

[56]Istronglysuggestanybeekeepersinterestedinpesticideissuesreadthem! Inthesecondarticle,the

authorsdiscussboththeproblemswithsystemicinsecticidesandofsublethaleffectsnotethatthesearticles

werewrittenlongbeforetheintroductionoftheneonics!

ACTIONSTOTAKE

Anantipesticidegroup,alongwithahandfulofbeekeepers,recentlyfiledsuitagainsttheEPA[57],calling

foranimmediatebanonthetwomostcommonneonicotinoidseedtreatments,despitetheeasilyverifiable

factthathundredsofthousandsofcoloniesthriveinthemidstofseedtreatedcorn,soy,andcanola! Tome,

thissuitsmacksofbeingsomesortofwellorchestratedpublicitystunt,anddoesnotservetheinterestsof

eitherbeekeepersorenvironmentalism. Worse,itnowgivesthepowerfulfarmlobbycausetolabel

beekeepersasradicalenemies.


26/30

Wedontwantthisbattle:dowereallywanttotakeonthefarmlobbybybackingthemintoacorner? The

Frenchbeekeeperstookasimilarcaseagainstfipronilallthewaytotheirsupremecourtandlost[58,59worth

reading]. Agricultureisalreadypositioningitselfforafight[60,61,62]. ThinkaboutittheEPAlivesinfearofa

conservativecongressslashingtheirfunding. Doesanyonereallythinkthattheyaregoingtogoagainstthe

agriculturallobbywithoutunimpeachableevidence? Weshouldalsothinktwicebeforecallingforabanon

theseedtreatmentsthealternativesarenotpretty!

Itdisturbs

me

to

hear

industry

executives

and

lawyers

stretching

the

truth

or

misrepresenting

data.

It

disturbsmeevenmoretohearmyfellowenvironmentalistsandbeekeepersdoingso! Ifwewishtomaintain

credibility,weshouldholdourselvestoahigherstandard. Thequestionwemustaskourselvesthewayin

whichwewishtohavepesticideregulationdecisionsmade:

1. BytheEPA(theEnvironmentalProtectionAgency),whoseriskassessorscarefullystudyandweighallavailableresearchandevidenceinordertomakeobjectiveandrationaldecisions,or

2. Tohaveitdecidedinsteadbyimpassioned,fearful,andoftenmisinformedadvocacygroupswhohirelawyersandpressurepoliticianswhoknowlittleaboutthesubject?

WedependupontheEPAtostrikeabalancebetweentheavailabilityofcheapfoodandprofitabilityfor

thosewhoprovideit,versustheriskstohumanandenvironmentalhealthandsafety. Itisgoodtohave

activistsonbothsidesoftheissues(industryandtheantipesticidegroups)tokeeptheEPAinformed. ButI

dontfeelthateitherofthosegroupsshouldbetellingtheEPAwhichpesticidestoregisterortoban! Letthe

regulatorsdotheirjob!

RatherthanwastingEPAsfundingtofightfrivolouslawsuits,therearemoreproductiveactionsthatwe

cantake:

1. HelptheEPAtodoitsjobbyfilingadverseeffectsincidentreportsifyouobserveaproblemdueto

pesticides[63]. EPAisbeggingbeekeeperstodothis! Unlesstheyhavedocumentedreportsofpesticide

problems,their

hands

are

tied

as

to

restricting

the

uses

of

those

pesticides!

2. SupporttheNationalPollinatorDefenseFund[64]. Ourindustryiscurrentlyrepresentedbyareasoned

andknowledgeablegroupof(mostly)beekeepers. (Challengetothepesticidecompanies: whydontyou

standbehindthesafetyofyourproductsanddonate? TheNPDFisaboutensuringthatyourpesticidesare

properlyapplied,sotherewouldbenoconflictofinterest).

3. Ifyourlocalstateleadagencyisnotactivelyinvestigatingbeekillsorenforcingpesticideregulations,then

usethelocalmediatoembarrassthemintoaction!

4. KeeppressureontheEPAtoresolvecornplantingdustproblems. Heresawildidea: Imnotsureofthe

exactfigures,butletssaythat90%ofthe95millionacresofcornisgrownfromneonictreatedseed. If

thestatesweretolevyasurchargeof50centsperacre(neonicseedtreatmentaddsabout$12peracre

toseed

costs),

they

could

collect

over

$42

million

each

year

to

fund

apool

from

which

to

indemnify

the

occasionalbeekeeperwhosuffersaconfirmedkillfromplantingdust!

5. TellCongressthatwedliketoseewordingaddedtotheFederalInsecticide,Fungicide,andRodenticide

Act(FIFRA)tospecificallyprotectpollinators. Currently,suchprotectionisnebulous(althoughtheEPAis

acutelyawareofpollinatorissues):TheAdministratorshallregisterapesticideifwhenusedin

accordancewithwidespreadandcommonlyrecognizedpracticeitwillnotgenerallycauseunreasonable

adverseeffectsontheenvironment. Unlessthereisspecificwordingtoprotectpollinators,beekillsmay

notbeconsideredtobeunreasonable!


27/30

6. Weneedfarmoreindependentfieldstudiestodeterminewhichpesticidesandapplicationpracticesare

actuallycausingharmtopollinators. Forpesticidesinquestion,keeppressureontheEPAtorequire

additionalfieldtrialstodemonstratewhethertheyareindeedsafeforpollinatorsunderfieldconditions.

Idliketoseetheestablishmentofmonitoringapiaries(andpatchesofuntilledland)inrepresentative

agriculturalareasnationwide,withthehivesineachapiarytobecarefullymanagedbyindependent

parties. Suchapiariesandsitescouldthenbecloselymonitoredeachsummertoseewhetherhoneybees

andotherpollinatorsareabletosurvivelocalpesticidepractices.

7. Givefarmersworkableoptions! Disseminateandpromotebeefriendlyagriculturalpracticesthatdont

hurtthefarmersbottomline. Forexample,byadoptingIPMpractices,Arizonacottongrowersreduced

insecticidesprayingfrom12.5timesaseasontoonly1.3times(cuttinginsecticideusetwentyfold),while

usingmoreenvironmentallyfriendlyinsecticides[65]! AnotherrecentstudyinIowafoundthatadding

additionalcloveroralfalfarotationsincorn/soyfarmlandwasequallyprofitable,improvedthesoil,used

lessenergy,usedfarlesspesticides,anddecreasedwaterpollution[66].

8. Businessandagriculturerespondtoconsumerdemand. Consumerdemandstoppedmostdairymenfrom

injectingtheircowswiththehormoneBST. Consumerscoulddothesamebydemandingpasturefedbeef

anddairy(whichwouldcreatemorepollinatorforage)! Idalsoliketoseetheexpansionofconsumer

choices(otherthanorganiccertification)thatrewardfarmerswhomanagetheirlandstothebenefitof

wildlifeandpollinators. Forideas,see[67,68,69].

BOTTOMLINE

Inconclusion,itappearsthataperfectstormofaprecedingexceptionallywarmwinter,followedby

seriousdroughtacrossthecountry,thelackofgoodmitecontrol,ahighprevalenceofpathogens,andan

unexpectedCaliforniachillintheorchardspriortobloom,resultedinanunusualdegreeofcolonylosses. In

otherwords,ratherthanonespecificcause,thereweresimplynotenoughofthegoodthings,andtoomany

ofthebadthings.

Idont

see

evidence

that

pesticides

were

the

major

factor

in

the

shortage

of

bees

in

almonds

this

winter,

although,asusual,anumberofindividualbeekeepersoncertaincropscertainlytookserioushits.

Andhowaboutthefearthattherewontbeenoughbeesforalmondpollinationnextyear? Beekeepers

havealreadytoldalmondgrowerstoexpecthigherpollinationpricesnextyear(especiallysinceCaliforniais

againgoingintoseriousdrought,andbeekeeperswillbeforcedtoinvestextramoneyinfeedingtheirhives).

MosteverybeekeeperIknowismadlymakingincreaserightnowinanticipationofhigherpollinationprices

nextseason. Thefactofthematteristhatshouldconditionsallowbeekeeperstosuccessfullyrebuildtheir

numbers(followingthetypicalswingsofourboom/bustcycle),therecouldpossiblyevenbeaglutofbeesfor

almondsnextwinter!

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28/30

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rootworm/article_5d09decc-5b40-11e2-b485-001a4bcf887a.html

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terbufos.html

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insect.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130407&_r=0

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pesticides23http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/pur/pur10rep/top_100_ais_lbs10.pdf

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29/30

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3.xml?format=INT

44

http://www.fera.defra.gov.uk/scienceResearch/scienceCapabilities/chemicalsEnvironment/documents/report

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