INFOGRAPHIC OF THE DAY: WHO CARES IF HONEY BEES ARE DYING?

Actually, you should, because dozens of industries depend on them.

In recent times, maybe no other mass extinction has caught mainstream attention quite like the plight of the honeybees. And all that activism seemed to culminate in a great sigh of relief, when, in 2010, the New York Times declared that a cause had finally been found for Colony Collapse Disorder. But the fact is that bees are still dying in shocking numbers. And pesticides thought to contribute to the mass die-offs are still in use.

 

But let's back up a bit. Why should we care about the survival of honeybees? Quite simply, because their pollinating powers sustain a sprawling web of crops, as this infographic by FFunction shows. Pay attention in particular to two areas: The ones that show how few bees are surviving each winter, and the last panel, which shows that $15-20 billion worth of crops depend on the work of honeybees:

Bracing stuff. Let's hope that we can solve this thing soon.

COMMENTARY:    For several years now, America's honey bees have been disappearing.  The condition is called colony collapse disorder (CCD).   It has been estimated that up to 40% of the U.S. honey bee population has been eradicated, and many beekeepers believe that Bayer Cropscience, the producer of Clothianidin, a corn insecticide, is the culprit.   Clothianidin has also been used in Europe, and their honey bee population was nearly eradicated.  Today, Italy, France, Germany and Estonia have banned Clothianidin.  

The U.S. Agriculture Department is at the front of the battle line to determine what is causing CCD. Research so far suggests that the honey bees are not in poor health, with honey bees from CCD afflicted colonies found to contain a common virus.  However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture believes that CCD is due to a combination of different factors.  The honey beekeepers and their researchers believe that the insecticide Clotianidin is has gradually broken down the honey bee's immune system, making them susceptible to parasites and viruses.  

CCD is a huge problem because two-third's of the U.S. agriculture industry depends on honey bee pollination.   If the honey bee's disappear, the entire U.S. agriculture industry could be irreparably damaged.

A leaked memorandum from the Environmental Protection Agency to Bayer CropScience was highly critical of  Bayer CropScience for insufficient research and tests to determine the longterm effects of Clothianidin on the environment, insects and wild life.  The EPA's memo clearly stayed that Clothianidin is toxic to bees.   Unfortunately, the EPA approved sale of Clothianidin conditional on further research, but either the research has not been conducted, or the EPA has been lax in following up.

I filed a complaint with the EPA, but have yet to receive a response, and also wrote to Bayer CropScience to obtain their side of the story and requesting that they pull Clothianidin from the market until a more thorough and complete research study was conducted.   My original query and subsequent response to their email are contained in a previous blog entry dated December 22, 2010.

I am glad that Fast Company has continued to keep the honey bee CCD problem front and center, and appreciate their infographic very much.   It definitely gives you the big picture and general overview of just how dangerous CCD is to the U.S. agriculture industry.  

I urge all Americans to file a formal compalint with the Environmental Protection Agency and Bayer CropScience.      

Courtesy of an article dated January 12, 2011 appearing in Fast Company Design

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