Jeff Anderson, a bee keeper from CA, sent this video (2 minutes). He also sent along a note that he sent to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture; they need to hear from the public. Pollinators are in trouble. California Minnesota Honey Farms has lost over ½ of our bees this summer, primarily due to the use of systemic seed treatments. This has been an escalating problem the last several seasons. The beehives suffer a pesticide setback which correlates with spring planting and the corresponding drift of poisonous dust off the fields as they are planted. This causes a number of the hives to lose their queens and have to raise new ones. The pesticide is a gift that keeps giving as the seed treatment is water soluble and rain events cause toxic runoff. This water solubility is what allows the plants to ‘pick up’ the toxin and distribute throughout the plant. When the crop ‘blooms’ or sheds pollen, bees collect the toxic nectar and pollen as food resources. The queen and the eggs she lays are fed from the incoming food. The incoming food is toxic enough to kill some of the young bees as they are raised, but worse, the near constant diet of toxic food eventually kills the queen. Without a queen the hive ceases to exist. EPA is the entity charged with managing pesticides. They are supposed to do a cost/benefit analysis as part of the registration process. Last week EPA announced that they have determined that there is no yield gain from the use of systemic seed treatment vs. no treatment on soybeans. The ‘tech’ treatment is the lions share of your cost for seeds, you may wish to explore purchasing untreated seeds for 2015. Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is in the process of evaluating systemic seed treatment registrations. Seed companies are in cahoots with pesticide manufacturers. Currently most seed companies will not sell high producing varieties without pesticide tech products applied. They only sell lower producing varieties without treatments. As a farmer, you should contact the Commissioner of Ag and demand that they put choice back in the seed market. Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson 625 Robert St N, St Paul, MN 55155 Or Email [email protected] Phone 651-210-6219 While we love Minnesota and hope to return with bees next year, we have been severely damage and are reluctant to bring bees back into a hostile environment. It is my firm belief that farmers are good stewards of their land, and do not purposefully damage their environment. You have been ‘sold a bill of goods’ with little to no choice in the matter, and that you need to demand that choice back. Thanks for your thoughtful consideration and action Sincerely Jeff Anderson Owner of California Minnesota Honey Farms youtu.be/Sn-fQndtC2c
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 22:35:28 +0000
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