Close this Advertisement Environmental Protection * Contact Us * Subscribe * Advertise Share * Twitter * Facebook * Home * Topics + Air + Climate Change + Electric Vehicles + Energy + Green/LEED Building + Recycling + Transportation + Waste + Water * News + Features + News Archive + RSS Feeds + Subscribe * Blog * Products + New Product of the Year * Industry Directory + EP Industry Directory + Water Industry Directory * Resources + Videos + Webinars + White Papers Beekeepers Versus the E.P.A: How a Pesticide is Affecting Bees Beekeepers Versus the E.P.A: How a Pesticide is Affecting Bees Last week, members in the beekeeping industry sued the Environmental Protection Agency over a chemical proven to have negative impacts on bee colonization. * Sep 18, 2019 “Save the Bees.” We see this call for action all over t-shirts and propaganda billboards. But how does one really save the bees? The issue is a complex one, but answers are emerging about the role of pesticides and agricultural chemicals. Between April 2018 to April 2019, beekeepers in the United States lost an estimated 40 percent of their managed bee colonies, according to the latest survey from the Bee Informed Partnership, a nonprofit that advises beekeepers. While scientists confirm the decline in bee colonies has many complex causes, beekeepers have expressed worries that pesticides are partly responsible. Now, the beekeeping industry is suing the Environmental Protection Agency for its participation in reinstituting the use of certain chemicals that have proven to be harmful to bee populations. The focus of the lawsuit is specifically the E.P.A’s reauthorization of the use of sulfoxaflor. This insecticide has proven to be harmful to bees in the past; the chemical is absorbed into plants, where it is ingested by pollinating bees. The bees then return to the hive and can transfer the chemical to the entire colony. This transfer of the chemical often affects the bees’ ability to breed and survive, according to studies cited by Earthjustice, whose lawyer Gregory C. Loarie is representing petitioners. While sulfoxaflor is the not only insecticide proven to be harmful to bees, it is a major one, and there is sufficient evident that suggests this. Scientists specifically say fault likely lies with pathogens and pesticides like neonicotinoids, which chemically resemble nicotine and include sulfoxaflor. Other countries have banned neonicotinoids. In 2013, the European Union ordered a two-year ban, and France has imposed a similar one. * « previous * 1 * 2 * 3 * next » * Printable Format * E-Mail this page * Tips to Keep Your Home Festive and Ecofriendly Tips to Keep Your Home Festive and Ecofriendly * The 2019 WMO State of the Global Climate Report: Key Takeaways from the Worrying Report The 2019 WMO State of the Global Climate Report: Key Takeaways from the Worrying Report Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus * Most Popular Articles * Most Emailed Articles Environmental Pollution Linked to Serious Neurological Illness Tips to Keep Your Home Festive and Ecofriendly How Your City Can Tackle Food Waste, Too Three Environmental Issues and Ways to Combat Them European Union Adopts New Guidance to Reduce Light Pollution TRENDING * How Cities Are Adopting EVs to Urban Infrastructure How Cities Are Adopting EVs to Urban Infrastructure + Electric Vehicles + Energy + Green Living * Tips to Keep Your Home Festive and Ecofriendly Tips to Keep Your Home Festive and Ecofriendly + Energy + Green Living * European Union Adopts New Guidance to Reduce Light Pollution European Union Adopts New Guidance to Reduce Light Pollution + Ecosystems/Ecology + Green Living + Regulation + Research and Technology * The 2019 WMO State of the Global Climate Report: Key Takeaways from the Worrying Report The 2019 WMO State of the Global Climate Report: Key Takeaways from the Worrying Report + Environmental Health and Safety + Environmental Security + Global Climate Change + Sustainability * COP25: The ‘Point of No Return’ Climate Summit This Week COP25: The ‘Point of No Return’ Climate Summit This Week + Global Climate Change + Energy + Rules and Regulations + Sustainability * Three Environmental Issues and Ways to Combat Them Three Environmental Issues and Ways to Combat Them + Ecosystems/Ecology + Environmental Health and Safety + Global Climate Change + Green Living + Water * Occupational Health & Safety * Security Today * Campus Security & Life Safety * Spaces4Learning * HME Business * Mobility Management * TOPICS * AIR * ELECTRIC VEHICLES * GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE * GREEN BUILDING * NUCLEAR ENERGY * RECYCLING * WASTE * WATER * MORE TOPICS * QUICK LINKS * BLOG * SUBSCRIBE * WHITEPAPERS * WEBINARS * NEW PRODUCTS * ABOUT EPOnline * ABOUT US * ADVERTISING * TERMS OF USE * PRIVACY POLICY * OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY * SECURITY TODAY 14901 Quorum Drive, Suite 425 Dallas, TX 75254 (972) 687-6700 1105 Media, Inc © 2019 1105 Media, Inc. Copyright 2010, 1105 Media Inc.