The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Bee Research Laboratory has released the preliminary results of a survey estimating that honeybee colony losses nationwide “were approximately 29 percent from all causes from September 2008 to April 2009,” touching off speculation about the fate of the ubiquitous pollinator. Federal investigators reported that only 15 percent of all colonies lost during the 2008/09 winter apparently died of colony collapse disorder (CCD), leading USDA to emphasize “the urgent need for research” on general honeybee health. “It’s just gotten so much worse in the past four years,” USDA Research Leader Jeff Pettis was quoted as saying. “We’re just not keeping bees alive that long.” According to media sources, apiary experts have blamed the honeybee die-off on a combination of viruses, bacteria and pesticide residues. In particular, beekeepers have cited a March 19, 2010, study published in PLoS One that reportedly identified at least one systemic pesticide…
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The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has reportedly revised Health Code Article 16 to allow residents to keep Apis mellifera hives within the city limits. Previously outlawed as too dangerous or venomous for urban life, the common honeybee is currently cultivated by hundreds of clandestine city beekeepers, many of whom quietly flaunted the prohibition. “People fear that if there’s a beehive on their rooftop, they’ll be stung,” one spokesperson for the New York City Beekeepers Association told the media. “Honeybees are interested in water, pollen and nectar. The real danger is the skewed public perception of the danger of honeybees.” In light of this evidence, the health board revisited the ban, which once imposed fines of up to $2,000 per citation and reinforced fears of sting-related litigation. The new regulations require beekeepers to register their hives with the city, but do not compel them to carry…
A recent study has reportedly suggested that multiple viruses are responsible for the increase of colony collapse disorder (CCD) among global honeybee populations. Reed M. Johnson, et al., “Changes in transcript abundance relating to colony collapse disorder in honey bees (Apis mellifera),” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, August 2009. According to researchers, “Microarray analysis revealed unusual ribosomal RNA [rRNA] fragments that were conspicuously more abundant in the guts of CCD bees,” which also carried more viruses and other pathogens than their healthy counterparts. The study posits that fragmented rRNA “may be a possible consequence of picorna-like viral infection, including deformed wing virus and Israeli acute paralysis virus.” These viruses are known to “hijack the ribosome” of bees to produce viral proteins instead of the ones needed for survival, explained lead study author May Berenbaum, who noted that the viral overload leaves CCD bees vulnerable to pesticides, disease and other…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has issued a proposed rule and referendum procedures that would establish “a new U.S. honey producer funded research and promotion program” in accordance with a U.S. Honey Producer Research, Promotion and Consumer Information Order submitted May 24, 2007, by the American Honey Producers Association (AHPA). Representing more than 550 domestic operators, AHPA has called for the implementation of a U.S. Honey Producers Board to address industry issues “such as the drastic decline in the numbers of the honeybee due to (1) natural pests and diseases that kill or weaken the honeybee; (2) record droughts in the mid-west [sic] that have destroyed the plants and flowers honeybees use to gather pollen, and (3) the overall dramatic decrease in demand for U.S. honey.” To finance this initiative, AMS would require first handlers who produce more than 100,000 pounds of honey annually to collect…
A federal court in the District of Columbia has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to produce certain records about the pesticide clothianidin and lists of potentially protected documents to the Natural Resources Defense Council, which sought the information under a Freedom of Information Act Request submitted in July 2008. Natural Resources Defense Council v. EPA, No. 08-1429 (D.D.C., decided June 23, 2009). According to the court, the information related to “the use of the pesticide clothianidin on crops in the United States, EPA’s evaluation of the safety of the pesticide on bees, studies submitted by chemical manufacturers relating to the toxicity of the pesticide to bees, and communications with other federal or foreign agencies regarding environmental risks posed by the pesticide.” The day before the court filed its ruling establishing a schedule for the document production, EPA announced that it had developed a “pollinator protection strategic plan.” The plan, created…
