In These New Times

“Schacker says there’s a proven fix for CCD. When the French government stubbornly ignored the initial findings against imidacloprid, irate beekeepers protested and the use of that insecticide was suspended. When farmers stopped using imidacloprid on their crops, the bees that pollinated those same crops returned in great numbers. Colony collapse disorder averted.”

Great efforts are being made to justify the latest “official cause ” of CCD i.e. pesticides, in ways which are , perhaps, not entirely truthful. Compare the above claim with these below:

“Selon les derniers chiffres de l’AFSSA (Agence Francaise de Securite Sanitaire des Aliments) a paraître dans le prochain magazine Valeurs Vertes, les colonies d’abeilles sont en partie decimees dans 14 departements francais. Deux ans apres l’imbroglio politico-mediatique sur les abeilles et l’interdiction de pesticides, les abeilles meurent toujours.”(16th July, 2006, futura-sciences)

[According to the latest figures of the AFSSA(French Health and Safety Agency) to be published in the next issue of Valeurs Vertes, bee colonies are in serious decline in 14 departnents. Two years after the media controversy over bees and the banning of pesticides, the bees are still dying.](futura-sciences)

“The banning in 2005 of two potent pesticides used on sunflower and corn crops, suspected of killing off the bees, appeared to have stemmed the massive die offs and reversed nearly a decade of declining honey harvests.

But end-of-winter mortality rates have shot up once again, with up to 60 percent of some hives missing in action.’(The Peninsula)

A Spring Without Bees: How Colony Collapse Disorder Has Endangered Our Food Supply

by Michael Schacker
The Lyons Press,
292 pages, $27.50
I live in a rural Saskatchewan town so anachronistically hooked on Roundup that almost every property bears the scorched earth of its handiwork. Our town administrator even pens a bossy column in our local newspaper every spring that urgently reminds us of our civic duty: kill all dandelions! Those who don’t maintain their lawns (and gardens) risk fines and scorn.

My eco-friendly partner and I hand-weed our dandelions and seed wildflowers (weeds) right on our front lawn. During our first summer here, we were cited for non-compliant long grass and weeds and the town administrator threatened to give us a fine. We cut the taller grass in the back, but refused to buy pesticides or pull the wildflowers. Guess whose garden is abundant with native bees, birds, bats, butterflies and wasps?

You’ve likely heard about the latest environmental crisis: colony collapse disorder (CCD). Bees are disappearing, and with them, our primary source of pollination. When we decimate honeybee and native bee populations, we also lose many of our fruit, vegetable and nut crops.

Science writer and investigative journalist Michael Schacker’s stellar new book, A Spring Without Bees: How Colony Collapse Disorder Has Endangered Our Food Supply, asks the central question: what is causing bees to disappear?

It’s not mites, cellphones or viruses, says Schacker. He sides with French scientists who found a link between CCD and the insecticide imidacloprid. Manufactured by Bayer CropScience, this toxic chemical is widely used to control pests on golf courses, commercial farms and suburban lawns and is an active ingredient in products for eliminating termites and ants.

However, bees are highly sensitive to imidacloprid and can even be affected by micro-amounts present in the crops they pollinate.

Schacker concludes that imidacloprid is the likely culprit in the death of 30 per cent of beehives in the United States. (CCD has yet to be officially reported in Canada. Schacker thinks our government may be in denial since he cites two British Columbia beekeepers with telltale signs of CCD.)

Schacker says there’s a proven fix for CCD. When the French government stubbornly ignored the initial findings against imidacloprid, irate beekeepers protested and the use of that insecticide was suspended. When farmers stopped using imidacloprid on their crops, the bees that pollinated those same crops returned in great numbers. Colony collapse disorder averted.

In the second half of the book, Schacker outlines his suggestions for making bee habitat: kick the pesticide habit, plant bee-friendly flowers and trees, build bee houses, farm and garden organically and use natural pest controls.

More than 70 Canadian cities – Toronto among them – have bylaws in place that ban “cosmetic” pesticide use in residential and commercial landscaping. In April 2009, a province-wide ban on the sale and use of lawn and garden pesticides takes effect throughout Ontario. Unfortunately, the ban does not extend to non-organic commercial farmers.

Lest you think my spray-happy town is the norm, Saskatchewan boasts the largest concentration of organic grain farmers on the continent. It’s also home to some marvellous natural history authors like Saskatoon resident Candace Savage. Her new book, Bees: Nature’s Little Wonders, is a timely celebration of these queenly insects and their importance to our ecosystem.

Savage flits and buzzes around her fascinating subject matter with typical curiosity and flair. Although her whimsical take on our pollination pals lacks the urgency of A Spring Without Bees, it makes for a lovely, informative companion to the investigative tome. Bees is abundant with stunning photos and quaint heritage graphics, while bee-themed verse by poets like Lorna Crozier and Emily Dickinson add a nice literary touch.

Savage concludes her bee book on a sad note when she contemplates the insects’ disappearance. Her ardent plea for the preservation of the bee is worth repeating:

“What bees ask of us is simple: a world free from poisons and other stressors, with places where they can nest and a sweet, season-long supply of flowering plants. In return, they offer to teach us their deepest lesson yet. Much as a honeybee belongs to her colony, so we humans belong to the living community of the Earth. The wild lies all around us, and we draw it in like breath. Our lives are indivisible from the lives of insects.”
Patricia Robertson is a Saskatchewan freelance writer.