Excerpt: "Of particular concern is a group of pesticides, chemically similar to nicotine, called neonicotinoids (neonics for short), and one in particular called clothianidin. Instead of being sprayed, neonics are used to treat seeds, so that they're absorbed by the plant's vascular system, and then end up attacking the central nervous systems of bees that come to collect pollen. Virtually all of today's genetically engineered Bt corn is treated with neonics."
Honeybees gathering corn dust to take back to the hive. (photo: Hilton Pond Center)
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Crops such as almonds, peaches, avocados and apricots are totally reliant upon bee pollination.
The total worldwide economic value of pollination has been estimated to be over $200 billion a year, and that is without the honey and wax that bees also produce.
Bee numbers have, however, fallen by up to 80% in some parts of the world due to disease, climate change and pesticide use. The situation has grown critical.
This article sheds more light on companies like Monsanto who control the GMO industry... and pesticides in general. and their relation and control of those organizations like the EPA, tasked to protect us and the environment...
George McGavin, an honorary research associate at Oxford University's Museum of Natural History, said: "The planet could go on functioning quite happily without any large animals such as primates. But he added "We rely upon bees for just about every vegetable, flower and fruit around. They are a crucial terrestrial group and we would face mass starvation without them."
The problem with remote island communities is that they also wouldn't have the same parasitic, bacterial and viral problems as mainland farms. At the moment there is strong evidence that a parasitic fly is involved in the colony collapse disorder. Something like 77% of the hives in CA that were checked show infection.
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