Showing posts with label colony collapse disorder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label colony collapse disorder. Show all posts

How One Bay Area Couple Plans To Save The Bees By Planting One Billion Wildflowers



By Charley Cameron

(Inhabit) Honey bees are vital to US crop production; they are responsible for the pollination of one third of U.S. crop species, which make up a total of 75 percent of all farmed domestic crops. There are several potential causes of CCD, including “a host of new pathogens from deformed wing virus to nosema fungi, new parasites such as Varroa mites, pests like small hive beetles [and] nutrition problems from lack of diversity or availability in pollen and nectar sources,” reports the USDA.

Scientists have zeroed in on the cause of the massive bee die-off—and the culprit is sold in giant retail stores.

(SumOfUsBees are dying off around the world in record numbers -- but big retailers are still selling the poison that is killing them.
Last season, 37 million bees (!) died on a single North American farm. Scientists now know why – study after study shows that deadly pesticides called "neonics", manufactured by Bayer, are killing them. 
Home Depot and Lowe's are still selling the deadly pesticides, but pressure is mounting. If one of the stores commits to stop carrying the pesticides, it could start a snowball effect that sees rival stores drop the bee-killing chemicals too.