Media Starting to Report Imidacloprid Culprit Behind Bee Die-Off: Just 1.5 Parts Per Billion Kills!

[Dems Will Win]

It looks like we need to ban Imidacloprid, made by Bayer, just as DDT was banned. Imidacloprid was banned in France in 2000, it is present in the nectar, lasts for years in the soil, and as little as 1.5 parts per BILLION cause the bees to lose their ability to forage!

I now have all the scientific proof anyone could need, which I will be posting in a series of posts on each point. Here is a great introduction from the Kalamazoo Gazette.

GO KALAMAZOO!

Suspect in bee die-off: Insecticide Widely used bug spray may be behind deaths of millions of bees
Thursday, May 24, 2007
By Amy Ellis Nutt
Newhouse News Service

An insecticide is suspected of causing a ``colony collapse'' disorder that has killed millions of honeybees worldwide and up to half of the 2.5 million colonies in the United States.

The chief suspect, say many scientists, is imidacloprid, the most commonly used insecticide on the planet.

...

A member of a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids, imidacloprid is a synthetic derivative of nicotine and works by impairing the central nervous system of insects, causing their neurons to fire uncontrollably and eventually leading to muscle paralysis and death.

The potent chemical can be sprayed on plants or coated on seeds, which then release the insecticide through the plants as they grow.

Research has shown that in sublethal doses imidacloprid and other neonicotinoids can impair honeybees' memory and learning, as well as their motor activity and navigation. Recent studies have reported ``anomalous flying behavior'' in imidacloprid-treated bees, in which the workaholic insects simply fall to the grass or appear unable to fly toward the hive.



...

Launched in 1994 by Bayer AG, the German health-care and chemical company, imidacloprid is sold under various brand names, such as Admire, Advantage, Gaucho, Merit, Premise and Provado.

It also is manufactured for use on flowers, lawns, trees, golf courses and even pets in the form of flea collars.

The product list soon could grow even longer. Last fall, Bayer announced findings indicating imidacloprid's ability to promote plant health even in the absence of infestation.

``These things (imidacloprid insecticides) do a great job on termites, fleas, ticks, but ]people forget honeybees are insects, too,'' said Jerry Hayes, president of the Apirary Inspectors of America and an entomologist with the Florida Department of Agriculture. In the mid-1990s, imidacloprid was implicated in a massive bee die-off in France in which a third of the country's 1.5 million registered hives were lost. After beekeepers protested, imidacloprid was banned for several uses, including treatment of sunflowers and corn seed.

The possibility that neonicotinoids are at the heart of the bee die-off implies a far more complex problem because of their widespread use. Every year these chemicals are applied to hundreds of millions of acres of agricultural lands, gardens, golf courses and public and private lawns across the United States.

Their use on major crops nearly tripled between 1964 and 1982, from 233 million pounds to 612 million pounds of active ingredients. And since then, their use has exploded. By 1999, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported 5 billion pounds of pesticides used on U.S. crops, forests, lawns, flowers, homes and buildings.

Because of imidacloprid's emergence as a primary player in pest management, a painful paradox has developed in the recent debate. Neonicotinoids are needed by farmers and growers to maintain the health of crops, many of which also require pollination by honeybees.

``Neonicotinoids are now the best aphid insecticide we have,'' said Peter Shearer, a specialist in fruit tree entomology with the Rutgers Agricultural and Extension Center in Bridgeton, N.J. ``It's very important to our pests that have shown resistance to other chemicals. It's very important to eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes.''

...

Some U.S. entomologists who recently have been analyzing dead bees have found a remarkably high number of viruses and fungal diseases in the carcasses, leading them to suspect there may be other culprits besides neonicotinoids.

``I don't think there is one smoking gun,'' Hayes said. ``When neonicotinoids are used on termites, they can't remember how to get home, they stop eating, and then the fungus takes over and kills them. That's one of the ways imidacloprid works on termites -- it makes them vulnerable to other natural organisms. So if you look at what's happening to honeybees, that's pretty scary.''

http://www.mlive.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-23/118002026916110.xml&coll=7

The EPA itself classifies imidacloprid as "highly toxic to honeybees"!

the EPA identifies both imidacloprid and clothianidin as highly toxic to honeybees. For example: “Clothianidin is highly toxic to honeybees on an acute basis. It has the potential for toxic chronic exposure to honeybees, as well as other non-target pollinators through the translocation of clothianidin resides in nectar and pollen. In honeybees, the affects of this toxic chronic exposure may include lethal and/or sub-lethal effects in the larvae and reproductive effects on the queen”. .

Documented sub-lethal affects of neonicotinoids include physiological affects that impact enzyme activity leading to impairment of olfaction memory.

Behavioral affects are reported on motor activity that impact navigation and orientation and feeding behavior. Additional research has found that imidacloprid impairs the memory and brain metabolism of bees, particularly the area of the brain that is used for making new memories.

Recent research done on imidacloprid looked at crops where imidacloprid was used as a seed treatment. The chemical was present, by systemic uptake, in corn and sunflowers in levels high enough to pose a threat to honeybees.

In 2002, a broad survey for pesticide residues in pollen was conducted across France. Imidacloprid was the most frequently found insecticide and was found in 49 percent of the 81 samples.

In addition, there is concern about the practice of combining certain insecticides and fungicides. A North Carolina University study found that some neonicotinoids in combination with certain fungicides synergized to increase the toxicity of the neonicotinoid to honeybees more than 1,000 fold in lab studies. (DWW-Yipes!)

http://www.lancasterfarming.com/node/577

The Parts Per BILLION:

The biological effects on bees are reported as follows:

Dr. Marc Colin (INRA) studied the effects on the frequentation, characterized by several criteria, by bees at sources of food (contaminated and non-contaminated), under semi-controlled conditions. For Imidacloprid, the effects are always present at 6 ppb. At 3 ppb., the effects are present under certain conditions. The toxicity of the Olefin metabolite is clear at 1.5ppb.: they are still present at 0.75ppb., but less regular.

Dr. M.H. Pham- Delègue (INRA) reported in October 2000 that the prolonged ingestion of syrups contaminated with Imidacloprid induces a significant reduction in olfactory learning performances at levels equal or above 12 ppb.

Dr. Belzunces (INRA) notably reported that the prolonged ingestion by the bee at 4.5pg (picogram)/ 24 hr., of either Imidacloprid or its metabolites caused the appearance of significant mortalities three or four days after the start of treatment (for comparison, and with regard to the weight of the individual, this is equivalent to a daily diet for a human of only four millionths of a gram!). He insists on toxicity of the Imidacloprid metabolites, bio-available or resulting from the rapid metabolism of Imidacloprid within the bee.

Here is the list of other articles now from Google news:

Possible culprit identified in decline of honeybees
SunJournal.com (subscription), ME - 7 hours ago
Recent studies have reported on the "anomalous flying behavior" of imidacloprid-treated bees where the workaholic insects simply fall to the grass or appear ...

Suspect in bee die-off: Insecticide Widely used bug spray may be ...
Kalamazoo Gazette, MI - May 24, 2007
Recent studies have reported ``anomalous flying behavior'' in imidacloprid-treated bees, in which the workaholic insects simply fall to the grass or appear ...

Pesticides may be contributing to the loss of honeybees
Fauquier Times-Democrat, VA - May 22, 2007
Some experts believe Imidacloprid confuses bees, so they cannot find their way home to the hive. The Pesticide Action Network warns that the exposure to ...

Crops Are Alive, But Bees Are Missing
Los Angeles Times, CA - May 19, 2007
It is a systemic pesticide, so even if it is applied only to the soil or the seed, it still can show up in pollen collected by bees. The use of imidacloprid ...

Protecting Honeybees from Chemical Pesticides
Lancaster Farming, PA - May 18, 2007
Additional research has found that imidacloprid impairs the memory and brain metabolism of bees, particularly the area of the brain that is used for making ...

What's happening to all the bees?
Reno Gazette Journal, NV - May 5, 2007
France experience widespread "colony collapse disorder" in the 1990's which scientists later linked to the use of the pesticide imidacloprid. ...

Full Text
Science Magazine (subscription) - May 17, 2007
There are few data that imidacloprid harms bees in fields, however. And other lines of evidence argue against blaming these pesticides. ...

'Let Them Eat Cake': The Bee Crisis, Part 1
South Korea - May 18, 2007
The insecticide imidacloprid has been studied as a possible bee killer in Europe. Imidacloprid operates in much the same way as genetically modified plants. ...

Beekeepers assess losses as hunt for cause of die-off continues
The Tribune-Democrat, PA - May 26, 2007
Many scientists now say the chief suspect is the most commonly used insecticide on the planet: Imidacloprid. It is found in a variety of commercial ...

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=Imidacloprid+bees

This is like a Science Fiction story about the end of the world. Don't worry -- we only have to defeat Bayer, Monsanto, the Bush Administration and their corporatist minions to save the planet...

I can now answer any doubters out there with scientific proof, so ask me any question and see if YOU can stump Dems Will Win!

SAVE A BEE - RECOMMEND!

[bigtree]

1. looks promising

wonder if it will pan out?

[Dems Will Win]

2. I'm convinced. I can answer any question now on this - backed up by over a

decade of scientific research and exacting data...

[bigtree]

5. How long do you think the damage will take to be reversed?

what's the residual effect?

I worry we may end up eradicating entire species which can't bear the population loss and their own infections in a way that would allow them to recover to any significant degree.

[Dems Will Win]

6. Although the half-life is short, the compunds left by imidacloprid

get locked up in the first 30 cm of soil and can actually accumulate if treated year after year. If we ban it now, we might avoid the diaster France had.

[acmavm]

3. Stories like this make me wonder how the human race ever made it

as long as we did. Whereas I understand and respect the advances in medical care and nutrition and science, I don't understand the human demand that everything be germ freed, sterile, bugless, confined.

Television would have one believe that everything MUST BE absolutely sterile in order for you to be a good housekeeper. I'm not advocating filth and unsanitary conditions, but the human race needs exposure to bacteria and germs. Or else we develop no immunity. And they mutate into super bacteria and germs.

Hospitals are a good example. We have strains of bacillus that we can't even make a dent in with the drugs we have now. All because of the urge/need to keep the place bacillus free. They've mutated into something we can't even begin to control.

Or my Uncle is another. He took penicillin or antibiotics presecribed by his doctor all his life. All his life, for everything. Then he needed a hip replacement (he was quite a bit over-weight). But he usbsequently developed an infection. And the antibiotics they gave him to fight it wouldn't work. And the infection caused a heart attact, and he died.

What ever turned people into idiots who believe that spraying chemicals or pumping them into the ground to get rid of every pest or weed could or would be a good thing? Was it greed? Was it laziness? What it a real belief that this shit, regardless of the assurances of the people who make and sold the stuff, is harmless?

How did we ever get this far? Now we're killing off insects that we depend on to sustain life. Did no one think this might happen? Did no one ever imagine that poison is poison and it just might have more of an effect on the intended target and everything in it's surrounding environment then they were told about? Or that they planned on?

Sometimes I don't believe that all this progress is progress.

[Dems Will Win]

4. THis proves the "Law of Unintended COnsequences"

It's Not Nice to Fool With Mother Nature

[hedgehog]

14. I suspect it's not so much a matter of needing exposure to harmful

bacteria as it is a case of needing to maintain the symbiotic bacteria we all have. Given that we're only starting to study the community of microorganisms each of us carries about and depends on, I can see where it'd be awfully easy to wipe out the good guys by accident.

[blueworld]

7. I think we need a little more info

Nicotine is a natural insecticide and has never historically caused anything like this. Can you post a link to what they "add" or how the synthetic derivative is manufactured? I will research on my own as well, but since you've got most of the info at your fingertips, it would be great if you get a chance to provide a little more detail. Thanks.

[Dems Will Win]

8. It's basically a neurotoxin

Here is the previous thread with lots of data and links:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x979180

[Dems Will Win]

9. Wikipedia: It's Chlorinated Nicotine

A chlorinated analog of nicotine, the compound therefore belongs to the class of chloronicotinyl insecticides, and acts on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor; the chlorination inhibits degradation by acetylcholine-esterase. Imidacloprid is notable for its relatively low toxicity to most animals other than insects due to its specificity for this type of receptor, which is found more often in insect nervous systems and zooplankton than that of other animals (exceptions exist; earthworms and a few species of fish, for example). This improved ratio of toxicity allows the use of very low concentrations (e.g. 0.05-0.125 lbs/acre), making it safer for insect control than other neurotoxins (particularly organophosphates) and enabling its use in applications as diverse as flea treatments for pets, control of beetle larvae in lawns, eradication or prevention of termite infestation in buildings, and other uses where animals and people may be exposed. Imidacloprid is, for example, present as a main (or the sole) active ingredient in concentrations between five and ten percent in three out of the four most widely used flea treatment and preventative topical treatments for dogs in the United States; these manufacturers claim an effective killing persistence of at least four weeks. The compound is also used for flea treatment on cats, whose livers have only limited detoxification ability compared to dogs and humans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imidacloprid

[benEzra]

29. That's because bees don't eat (or smoke) tobacco...

Nicotine is a natural insecticide and has never historically caused anything like this.

That's because bees don't eat (or smoke) tobacco, presumably. And as a pesticide, nicotine is just not used in these kinds of volumes on plants that bees typically get nectar and pollen from.

The OP is pretty convincing, though. It makes a lot of sense.

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. This stuff can be expensive and I have lots of it still stored. I was going

to use it a month ago, but stopped when I read about the bee plight. Where do I go to deposit the stuff?

[Dems Will Win]

11. Your County Should have a special hazardous waste facility

Call the Landfill dept...

[kestrel91316]

12. Ms. Nutt may or may not have written a decent article here. Because she

totally screwed up by saying that imidacloprid is in FLEA COLLARS for pets (it is not - it is a monthly topical liquid), I have to question all the facts and conclusions of her article on general principle.

Journalists sometimes write utter nonsense, because they lack sufficient basic background in the field they are writing about.

I'm not saying imidacloprid ISN'T a good possibility in CCD. I'm just saying that this particular writer doesn't know what the heck she is saying, and should have left the job to someone else more qualified.

[hedgehog]

13. So bees, being insects, are killed by insecticides....

who knew?

[Critters2]

24. LOL!!! nt

[depakid]

15. Yesterday was Rachel Carsen's 100 Birthday

Yet the poison lobby is stronger and more self-destructive than ever.

[Dems Will Win]

16. We need to honor Rachel Carson by starting a movement to ban

imidacloprid as she helped to ban DDT!

[Dems Will Win]

17. BUZZ!

[kittykitty]

18. kick!

[BrklynLiberal]

19. Another kick!!

[Dems Will Win]

20. Another BUZZ!

[applegrove]

21. Thanks for your research. Well done. People like you keep us all informed.

[file83]

22. Very informative.

:thumbsup:

[Canuckistanian]

23. I'll have to find out if this chemical is used locally

We have a few beekeepers close to us. I'm sure they'd want to know this as well.

[Critters2]

25. It's Advantage, the topical flea treatment for dogs

I'm now looking for a natural alternative, something toxic only to fleas. Or better yet, a natural repellent.

[Dems Will Win]

26. buzz~!

[GliderGuider]

27. Apple growers in the Maritimes noticed a correlation years ago

And they are also reporting that it takes longer to lose potency in colder climates like ours.
I looked for the link but it's elusive today. *sigh*

[GliderGuider]

28. Coalition against BAYER-dangers (CBG)

http://www.cbgnetwork.org/

The Coalition against BAYER Dangers assumes that multinational companies are decisively responsible for ecological, social, ethical and political problems around the world. CBG sees BAYER as one of the trendsetters in the chemical industry and as an example of multinational company policy. Our goal is to make company policy more transparent and to publicize cases of abuse in factories throughout the world, help those affected by the abuse, organize resistance, fight for improvement and come up with alternatives, as well as to assure environmental protection, human rights and social security at BAYER. The group uses its knowledge to help by assuring that acts of resistance by neighbours, employees' families, environmental groups and other groups are successful throughout the world. CBG´s activists work together on location if necessary to assure that BAYER pays attention to environmental protection, social security and human rights.

An excellent site out of Germany with translations in a brazillion languages.
Click on English (or any other preference) in the the left-hand panel. When the page loads, the menu changes.
Click on Newsletter in the left-hand panel for a great place to start.
It's searchable, too. Click on search our site.