Endangered: EPA finally comes to defense of honey bees

[G_j]

http://m.washingtonexaminer.com/endangered-epa-finally-comes-to-defense-of-honey-bees/article/2534480

BY: Paul Bedard August 20, 2013 | 9:24 am

Under pressure from Congress and the honey industry, the EPA is ordering an immediate reduction in the use of widely used pesticides, an admission that bug killers approved by the agency are partly responsible for the disappearance of honey bees.

The Environmental Protection Agency is changing the labeling on pesticides to reduce their use in fields when bees are present, the first significant concession provided to the honey industry which has reported bee kills of over 50 percent among some commercial beekeepers.

"Multiple factors play a role in bee colony declines, including pesticides. The Environmental Protection Agency is taking action to protect bees from pesticide exposure and these label changes will further our efforts," said Jim Jones, assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.

It comes too late for many honey bees that pollinated blueberries, nuts and fruit trees earlier this year, and even those that fly into a Home Depot or Walmart garden center to suck the nectar from flowers for sale. According to a new report from Friends of the Earth and BeeAction.org, bee-attractive plants sold at top retailers contain the pesticides EPA now plans to limit.

At issue are "neonicotinoids," the fastest-growing class of synthetic pesticides made primarily by Bayer CropScience and Syngenta. They are used to treat more than 140 crop varieties and it is often pretreated on seeds, building in the pesticide.

..more..

[lovuian]

1. I have been waiting for the EPA to HAVE To Ban Neonicotinoids

when Corporation is going after Corporation ....and when National Defense of the US food supply is at risk


its time to wave the flag of defeat


We can only hope that the honeybee does not become extinct in America and it is on its way


America has been on the wrong end of this battle

It took you LONG enough EPA

[RoccoR5955]

2. One can only hope it is not

too little, and too late.
Without bees, we might as well hang up human existence on Planet Earth.

[alp227]

3. Wash. Examiner = Right wing source, here's a scientific one

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2013/08/epa-pushes-pesticide-labels-protect-bees

[BlueJazz]

6. After reading the link you posted (Thanks!)...The Bees are Fucked...

....and so are we....
The Pesticide pushers NEVER do anything voluntarily.

[G_j]

7. much clearer

thanks.

a sad state

[Orrex]

4. Take that, Professor Falken!

[Scuba]

5. So soon? Our EPA is a joke ...