Bee Nice

Bee Nice

   I have always had a fascination with bees, despite my relatively recent (and somewhat severe) allergic reaction to their stings.  In the heat of summer I would place a planter dish of sugar water out on our deck railing and watch as all types of bees, even wasps and ants, would congregate in a cooperative drinking fest (if you do the same, try not to use too much water or the bees will be unable to get out and will easily drown).  There, I could study the black bees and the various honey bees and the occasional bumble bee (considered the gentlest of all the bee species), all with virtually no fear of being stung, even as I removed the dish to refill it with more sugar water.  It was a fascinating glimpse into this window of nature's cooperation when it came to survival.

   But as you've likely read, our bees are having one heck of a tough time out there, perishing by the millions or perhaps billions.  And at first, this was though to be a mite or a viral infection that had hit them, colony collapse was the term.  People who raise bees for both fun and profit would awaken and see their hives either nearly empty or filled with both dead and dying bees (indeed, there are many commercial bee farmers who "lease" out their bee colonies to fields to aid pollination --1.7 million such colonies, those white square boxes you see at the edge of fields-- often at $75-125 per colony, and primarily to almond and fruit tree farmers).  Scientists struggled to find the cause, and after several years, it seemed that once again, chemical pesticides had entered the picture as suspect number one.

   Neonicotinoids, more simply referred to as neonics, are a narcotic-like chemical that volume-wise is 10,000 times more toxic than DDT and is sprayed on our corn, wheat, soy and cotton, and of course, our gardens (neonics are in many of the insecticide sprays sold commercially on garden shelves).  Even in tiny quantities, the chemical makes its way through the plants' leaves, into the flowers and then onto the pollen, quickly attacking the nervous system of insects and other pollinators, causing disorientation, paralysis and usually death.  Europe took the first step over a year ago, questioning the safety of the chemical spray in foods and in the environment, and in 2013 placed a 2-year ban on three of the neonics used.  The United States has taken no such measures, which has led to a lawsuit by the Defenders of Wildlife, all in an effort to help get the chemicals banned.

   In their Spring 2015 publication (unfortunately not yet online), Defenders had this to say in an article on neonics:  Six neonics are now marketed in huindreds of products that are used to treat seeds and spray crops and ornamental plants.  "They are highly toxic and highly persistent," says Scott Black of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.  He notes that they can remain in soil for years after a single application--and wash into waterways in high concentrations.  A Dutch study found that 70 percent fewer invertebrate species lived in water polluted with imidacloprid.  And killing off mayflies and midges could have a domino effect on birds that rely on flying insects for food.

   If it all sounds a bit dire, one does have to tip one's hat to the giant company Lowes who just announced that it will join the likes of Home Depot and Walmart in stopping the sale of neonics to its customers by 2019.  In a press release by Care2.com, the volume of petitions submitted by people seems to have helped in the decision:  According to a study released by Friends of the Earth and Pesticide Research Institute, Gardeners Beware 2014, 51 percent of garden plants purchased at Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Walmart in 18 cities in the U.S. and Canada contained neonicotinoid pesticides at levels that could harm or even kill bees.  In the past year, more than twenty nurseries, landscaping companies and retailers—including Home Depot, Whole Foods and BJ’s Wholesale Club have taken steps to eliminate bee-killing pesticides from their stores. The UK’s top garden retailers including Homebase, B&Q and Wickes, have also stopped selling neonicotinoids, according to Friends of the Earth.

   In addition, the announcement also noted that the U.S. government might be changing its stance by placing a moratorium on the usage or approval of any new neonics (the government banned the use of neonics in its wildlife refuges last year):  On April 2, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a moratorium on new or expanded uses of neonicotinoids while it evaluates the risks posed to pollinators.  This past June, the Obama administration established the Pollinator Health Task Force charged with improving pollinator health, and assessing the impacts of pesticides, including neonicotinoids, on pollinators...This announcement (the one by Lowes) comes eight months, after a meta-analysis of 1,121 peer-reviewed studies by the task force on Systemic Pesticides concluded neonicotinoids are a leading factor of bee declines and are harming birds, earthworms, butterflies and other wildlife.  The task force concluded that immediate regulatory action was needed.

   There are many types of bees, over 40,000 species just in North America (see some of the natural beauty of the bee in a photo spread featured in National Geographic).  Some of the bees are quite small, and many don't have stingers.  Some bees actually eat and regurgitate the pollen, instead of just having it collect on their body.  And the honey produced by a small number of bees is actually their stored food (in commercial hives, honey has to be returned to the colony in times of drought or heat in order for the colony to survive).  And truth is, the neonics are not the total reason for the declining populations;  indeed, the Varroa mite and some viruses are still puzzling scientists as to how to control them.  Add climate change into the picture and our bees are struggling to adapt.

   But one thing is certain and that is bees are considered our workhorses of the fields.  An estimated $15 billion of pollination work is done by bees, but the worrying factor is what they provide in the wild, pollinating seeds and other native plants which provide food to an estimated 25% of animals including birds, wolves and even bears.  If you add in other pollinators such as the declining population of butterflies, lacewings and hummingbirds, the chain of decline moves steadily upwards to include bats (about a third are pollinators but the majority devour moths and other night-flying bugs), then larger animals and perhaps, us as humans (bees are used commercially on melon, sunflower, almond, tomato and berry crops, among others).

   When the declining populations of bees began appearing in 2006, hive losses were estimated to be between 30 to 90%.  In 2013, beekeepers still lost 45% of their hives.   Much of this loss can be prevented, not only with reduced pesticide usage, but with a planting of native plants along fences and rail tracks...even in our backyards.  Mono-culture farming has decimated these patches of refuge for bees and for birds (an estimated 6,000 acres a day is lost to monoculture farming, said Scott Black in the Defenders article).  And read those labels on your insecticide sprays (the stores will continue to sell such products, including house and garden plants treated with such, until their inventory is used up...2019 is still 4 years away!).  Avoid neonics such as: acetamiprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, and dinotefuran (think ACTID as a simplified reminder).  And build simple shelters for bees, a small piece of soft wood with upward-facing holes (simple instructions are here) or a cleared patch of ground as cooler temperatures arrive (70% of bee species burrow into the ground for nesting, in case you were wondering what the heck happens to all the bees when winter arrives).  And yes, you can put your own tray of sugar water outside (change it often because it will dry in the sun, turning sticky and then crystalizing, trapping any creature too weak to break free of its bonds)...who knows what you might witness.  You might even find your flowers rejoicing with a new sound, a buzzing symphony from nature.