Reply #11: A chemical is a more reasonable culprit.

[Buzz Clik]

From the LTTE:

Disappearing honeybees
Re: "Hives holding a secret; Colo. beekeepers stung by mysteriously vanishing colonies," March 4 news story.

The Post's article on honeybee colony collapse disorder (CCD) is very important. While the article made CCD sound mysterious, many scientists point to a group of agricultural pesticides called neonicotinoids, which are relatively new.

The one that is most widely used is called imidacloprid. It is used on soil, seeds, fields and orchards. This pesticide is absorbed into a plant's entire system and can be found in the pollen and nectar, which the bees collect. It does not break down but remains in the environment for a long time. Although it kills many agricultural pests, it has been banned in Europe because it endangers pollinators.

Imidacloprid is known to be highly toxic to honeybees. It compromises their immune system, but the greater threat is that impairs their ability to find their way back to their hive. We have bees that are not returning to the hive, and thus beekeepers find no dead bees. Tens of thousands of colonies across half of the nation have already perished.

The huge difference here: imidacloprid has been shown to be toxic to bees.