By Jake Johnson The rapid and dangerous decline of the insect population in the United States—often called an “insect apocalypse” by scientists—has largely been driven by an increase in the toxicity of U.S. agriculture caused by the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, according to a study published Tuesday in…
Adjuvants not as benign to honey bees as previously thought Adjuvants are chemicals that are commonly added to plant protection products, such as pesticides, to help them spread, adhere to targets, disperse appropriately, or prevent drift, among other things. There was a widespread assumption that…
By Elias Marat While the role played by honeybees and wild bees as important pollinators is well known, the bumblebee also plays a crucial role in maintaining the health and viability of crops such as chili peppers and tomatoes. And now, researchers at the National…
Garlic and spearmint essential oils most effectively repelled pests in a study to help organic brassica farmers Agricultural insect pests seek out familiar scents to find their plant hosts. However, they can also be repelled by odors from other plant species. A new study from…
By Children’s Health Defense The Facts: Comprehensive Test Results Show Beech-Nut Naturals line of baby foods contain residues of synthetic pesticides including glyphosate, acetamiprid and captan. Reflect On: Why do food company’s lie and deceive the public so much. Why do we simply believe them…
By Elias Marat The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has suspended its annual surveys of the honeybee population as the federal agency increasingly turns toward representing big agricultural interests rather than regulating them. Citing the need for budget cuts, the Trump administration’s suspension of the…
By Arjun Walia In Brief The Facts: The Environmental Protection Agency recently announced “emergency” approvals to spray sulfoxaflor — an insecticide considered “very highly toxic” to bees — on nearly 14 million acres of crops known to attract bees. Reflect On: Why do corrupt federal…
By Emma Fiala London’s bee population will soon be getting a boost thanks to a seven-mile “bee corridor” being constructed in the London Borough of Brent. The borough recently announced plans to connect 22 “urban meadows” together to create the corridor in an effort to encourage…
By Vic Bishop Just under the radar of public concern is the fact that bees and pollinator insects are dying off in catastrophic numbers; and if we are unable to reverse this trend, we face a very different kind of future. Bees in particular appear…
By Olivia Rosane A new study has found that exposure to certain pesticides can alter bees’ genes, leading researchers to call for tougher regulations on the widely-used chemicals. The study, published Wednesday in Molecular Ecology, looked at the impact of two neonicotinoid pesticides on bumblebee populations and found that they…
By Elias Marat The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted “emergency” clearance to sulfoxaflor – an insecticide that, by the agency’s own admission, is considered “very highly toxic” to bees. Sulfoxaflor will be used on over 16 million acres of crops that are attractive to bees….
By Jon Queally A new peer-reviewed study shows that eating a completely organic diet—even for just one week—can dramatically reduce the presence of pesticide levels in people, a finding that was characterized as “groundbreaking” by critics of an industrial food system that relies heavily on synthetic toxins…
By Jon Queally While it has been widely established by the scientific community that the class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids (or neonics) have had devastating impacts on honey bees and other pollinators, new research shows that Monsanto’s glyphosate—the world’s most widely used chemical weed-killer—is also extremely…
By Alex Pietrowski Global populations of bees and pollinator insects are being decimated at an alarming rate, and in recent years we’ve learned that use of neonicotinoid pesticides are largely to blame. But, as researchers are now confirming, the most used (and overused) herbicide in the world,…
By Jessica Corbett While the Trump administration recently moved to roll back a ban on neonicotinoid pesticides in U.S. wildlife refuges, conservationists are celebrating Canada “for recognizing the overwhelming body of scientific evidence on neonics and phasing out these dangerous pesticides.” SEE: Trump Reverses Ban On GMOs And Bee-Killing Pesticides In…
By Jessica Corbett While regulators in other regions of the world have recently worked to ban bee-poisoning pesticides called neonicotinoids that scientists have long warned could cause an “ecological armageddon,” the Trump administration just reversed an Obama-era policy that had outlawed the use of neonics and genetically modified crops in…
CINCINNATI, OHIO – On Thursday, farmworkers, students, public health, beekeeping, environmental, faith-based and consumer groups held a protest at Kroger’s (NYSE: KR) annual shareholder meeting, calling on the company to sign onto the Fair Food Program and commit to eliminate toxic pesticides from its supply…
By Lisa Egan Feared at best and considered a useless, disposable nuisance at worst, bees are among the most underappreciated creatures on the planet. That’s a shame because our very existence relies on the tiny buzzing creatures. We’ve known for years that bee populations all across North America…
Current Administration Putting Profits Ahead of Bees WASHINGTON – The Bee Informed Partnership released results on May 23, 2018 of its annual survey of honeybee colony losses. Beekeepers reported 40.1 percent bee colony losses between April 2017 and April 2018. However, these numbers only represent 6.6 percent…
By Jessica Corbett The European Union on Friday voted to ban agricultural pesticides that are harmful to bees and which scientists have warned could have a broader impact on the global food chain. Faced with mounting scientific evidence that bee-poisoningneonicotinoids, or neonics, could cause an “ecological armageddon,” European regulators…
